The Nature of an Ashikabi
by KyokaZangetsu
Summary: Minato Sahashi. A 19 year old ronin who failed his college entrance exam twice! As he laments his second failure, he meets a beautiful woman with silver hair. It turns out that said woman is a powerful being known as a Sekirei! Next thing Minato know's, he's her human pet. Beta-read by Ikrani.
1. Terrifying Union

He'd just left the Tokyo University, though now that the city was called Shinto Teito maybe the college was due for a new name, as well. Or maybe they'd keep it, so the alumni wouldn't have to change their alma maters.

But that wouldn't be a problem for 19-year-old Minato Sahashi, oh no. His dilemma came after rigorously skimming the results board on campus, looking through the hundreds of numbers posted, trying to find his own. Students around him had cheered and cried with equal abandon, and the whole time he'd prayed that his exam results would land him among the first group.

But, to his lack-of-surprise, his number wasn't listed. No number meant no entrance, and no entrance meant Mom and Yukari were going to have a field day with him _again_.

Minato groaned audibly. His hands left his black trouser pockets and lifted to his black hair, running his fingers through the salwan locks. He knew that he knew all the answers; he'd studied for this thing until he could recite them from memory backwards _._ He'd shut himself off from the outside world for almost two months, coming out of his tiny apartment only for food, air and the occasional ray of sunshine.

But as soon as he'd arrived, his nerves began to shake. As he'd sat down at that desk, he'd been trying to keep his fingers from fidgeting. And once his name was on the front of that test, his paper-thin confidence had gone to absolute pieces with every right answer he had.

It had only gone downhill from there. The wind had picked up the instant he'd set foot outside of campus, chilling him to the bone despite the blue jacket he wore. He'd stopped for coffee, to reward himself for making it out alive, though that might change once his mother heard the results.

And she would. If not by phone, then by popping in on his apartment to give him his shout-down in person.

The stop at the coffee shop went horribly awry, as while mentally preparing for his trip to the guillotine, he'd brought his latte away from his lips without righting it, sending a few globs of hot brown drink to splat against his white shirt. At this point he couldn't be bothered to wipe it off, just staring absent-headedly while it soaked into the fabric.

A tap on his table caused his eyes to drift from his newly-dyed attire. And in an instant, he was snapped from his pity party, because the ongoing tapping came from the chape of a scabbard.

Looming over him was a woman who wore a tight black leather top, miniskirt and stockings, while over her shoulders flowed a grey haori. She had grey hair tied in a ponytail to match her narrow grey eyes. The sheath, judging by its immense length, looked like it held a nodachi.

 _Who the heck carries a sword like that-_

Minato's mind derailed as he couldn't decide what to be more alarmed about: that this woman was standing in a coffee shop with a sword, or that she was wearing said sword, a weapon so large that samurai sometimes brought a servant to help draw it, at her _waist_. The woman seemed to look a little anxious, and was visibly shocked when he looked back at her. She stood frozen on the spot, her eyes bucking. The woman narrowed her eyes further as she examined his body and face. She bent down toward him and poked his cheek.

"You... why am I reacting so easily... to you?"

"Uh, what are doing?" Minato asked with fear in his voice; the woman was freaking him out a little.

"Hello there, young man," she said with a soulless smile. "I'm going to kill you now."  
Minato took one look at her and ran for his life, the woman grinned and chased after him, sword in hand.

' _Shit! Shit! Shit! Who the hell is this girl_ _?!'_ Minato was sprinting with all his speed, but the woman kept up without so much as a pant. Her legs were moving with what Minato could only describe as sonic speed, her face still plastered with the malicious grin, not even showing a hint of tiredness. 

"You can't escape, Ashikabi," she said simply. Within seconds she was beside him, swinging her sword with all its deadly force. Minato jumped to the side, narrowly dodging the overhead slash that made a small crevice in the concrete.

 _What the hell is this girl?!_ Minato thought as he tried to pick up his speed.

 _Huh,_ she thought, pulling her sword from the split in the sidewalk. _He actually dodged it..._  
The woman once again caught up with Minato, this time jumping in front of him. With a cold look on her face she swung her sword to the left, with a speed that could cut through a lamp post.

Minato knew this because it did just that, the light teetering over and hammering in the roof of a nearby car. More amazing was that he somehow managed push off his heel to jump back and avoid the strike, landing on his ass in the process. He looked up at the woman who gazed at him with a passive look, before she flipped her grip on the handle and drew her hand back.

 _Feet, help me out here!_ And they did, Minato off and bolting the other way. The woman reversed her grip again and slid the sword into its sheath.

That was all Minato caught before he rounded a corner, looking along the street for a place to hide. He didn't get very far, though, because seemingly out of thin air the woman landed in front of him. Not a single murmur escaped his lips as she thrust her sword straight at his heart.

He felt something punch his shoulder, then a warm feeling began trickling down his side. He looked over to see blood, _his_ blood, the last thing he saw before he slid off and passed out cold.

The woman flicked her sword, spattering the blood off of the tip on to the sidewalk, ignoring the gasps and antsy murmurings from the humans around her. His panicked flailing had caused her blade to miss its mark. He'd survive the wound.

 _That's the third time he's escaped a killing blow,_ she mused silently. _Perhaps he_ is _my Ashikabi..._

- _Somewhere windy-_

Minato woke up under a cherry blossom tree, the small, pink petals falling gracefully from the tree's branches and a breeze curled around him. He saw the figure looming over him, her grey hair flowing in the wind.

She knelt down, her eyes narrowed. It was the girl who stabbed him. Now that he got a good look at her, she was beautiful.

"Um…" Minato edged back a little "Wh-Why were you ch-chasing me?"

The woman didn't look very pleased; in fact she looked rather disappointed. Like in the coffee shop, she touched Minato's face, causing him to recoil out of fear.

The woman sighed. From just a few short actions, he had proved himself to be a bit of a wimp. She touched his chest, on the now bandaged wound she'd inflicted. Minato flinched at the wound and yelped, his body finally noticing the stinging pain and he held his shoulder.

Karasuba almost giggled. For how truly pathetic he was, she found it rather amusing.

 _Is this truly_ my _Ashikabi? This weak and pitiful little insect?_

Karasuba sighed, she looked up at the tree and murmured, "I hate things like this, so beautiful… It's disgusting."

Minato dove out of the way of Karasuba's blade, as it came toward him at lightning speed. He noticed that the blade wasn't intended for him but for the tree, staring in awe as Karasuba cut it to pieces. His face amused Karasuba; it twisted into even further shock as she closed her eyes and cut a blossom out the air.

She sheathed her sword.

"Come on, Ashikabi. We have a lot to discuss." She didn't offer her hand so much as grab his own. After the fright he'd just had, Minato wearily went along with it.

"My name," she said, still gripping Minato's hand, "is Karasuba. What about you, Ashikabi?"  
"S-Sahashi Minato..."

Karasuba looked at him, a little surprise showing amidst the frost in her eyes.  
"Take me to your house, Minato, and I'll fill you in. I'd explain here, but I want to see what kind of place I'll be living in."

Minato gulped. Just what kind of mess had he gotten himself into?

 _-Minato's apartment-_

Karasuba was even less impressed with Minato's apartment: a grubby, messy old place with a absolute dick as a landlord. Karasuba had to scare the little midget bastard into submission when he tried to chase them off, screaming obscenities at the two of them, even going so far as to call Karasuba a slut and attack Minato with a bat.

Her impression of Minato's apartment wasn't much better: messy, old take-out boxes littered around the room. The wallpaper seemed to be rotting, as well as the actual brick and stone that she could see from exposed pieces of wall. Needless to say she would definitely be getting better accommodations.

Nevertheless, it did not waver her feelings in the slightest. She sat across the meter-long "table" from Minato, who was looking very nervous. It almost made her chuckle a little.  
 _Oh Minato, you're so innocent_ , she thought to herself. _How is_ my _Ashikabi this weak?_  
"Now then," she began, "you remember what my name is?"

Minato nodded. "K-Karasuba-sama."

"Very good." _Maybe there's hope for him yet._ "I'm a Sekirei, competing in what's known as The Sekirei Plan."  
"Sekirei Plan? What's that? And what are Sekirei?" Minto asked.  
"Might as well start at the beginning," she said, rolling her shoulders and stretching her neck.

"A long time ago, Sekirei came from the sky and crash-landed on this planet. We were discovered by Minaka Hiroto and your mother Takami Sahashi."

"Wait, my mo-!" Minato stopped as he felt Karasuba's eyes spear him as surely as her sword had. "I'm sorry."

With that aside, Karasuba continued. "These Sekirei were taken by MBI and eventually The Sekirei Plan was born, a plan to make all Sekirei fight each other. In the end, when only one Sekirei and their Ashikabi are left, they can ascend to Kouten to have their... 'wish' granted."

"O-Okay," Minato stammered, finally able to sit up straight again. "So what's an Ashikabi?"

"An Ashikabi is a Sekirei's destined one, the one who can fully unlock our powers."  
Without warning, Karasuba leapt over to Minato and pinned him to the floor, her smile turning to a wicked grin. She licked her lips.

"Guess who mine is."

Karasuba kissed Minato deeply on the lips, surprising the poor boy. Yet he felt a sudden connection to Karasuba and kissed back with passion. When Karasuba broke away, her black wings had emerged and she spoke "Pledge of my blade, exterminate the sworn enemy of my Ashikabi."

She let out a moan of pure ecstasy when she finished her prayer, and fell on top of Minato.

"K-Karasuba-san, are you okay?" Minato asked.  
"Yes, I'm fine." Karasuba lifted herself up and touched Minato's face. She was expecting him to somehow look different now that they were bonded, but no, he was still the same gutless child.

"Though you're a lot more powerful than I pegged you for, so much that you'll probably attract more Sekirei," Karasuba said forlornly.

"Wait, _more_ Sekirei?!"

Karasuba smiled and nodded. "Of course. With such a powerful aura and strong scent, Sekirei would flock to you. I can imagine the rest of the First Discipline Squad coming to you to be winged."

"The rest of _what?_ " Seems Karasuba forgot about that one.

The Sekirei's chilling smile widened. "My old unit."

All of a sudden, Minato's T.V turned on. On the screen was a man with pure white hair, about as white as Minato's face was at that moment, with a matching suit and cape. A pair of glasses rounded out his "mad scientist" look.

"Hello Sahashi-kun! I am Minaka Hiroto!" he proclaimed, like a child about to play with some new toys. "And hello to you, No. 4."

"Hello again Minaka, I'm surprised. I thought Takami wouldn't let you anywhere near any of your-"

"Hush Karasuba!" To Minato's surprise, Karasuba complied. Minaka then re-addressed him, like the man knew exactly where he was sitting. "Now then, Sahashi-san. As you've been made aware, you are competing in the Sekirei Plan. 108 Sekirei have been released to fight and reach Kouten; whoever's love shines the strongest shall win the game!" Minaka bellowed a half-crazed laugh, and Minato could tell the man was about as well-hinged as a sliding glass door. In a warzone.

"But what is a game without a few rules?" Minaka continued. "The first is that you must not tell anyone about the game! I'll have the Plan revealed to the world on my own terms, thank you. The second is that you must never try to escape! Those who try will be brought back or have their Sekirei terminated by the Discipline Squad."

At this, Minaka looked directly at Karasuba, who smirked. "I resign, Minaka."

"I thought you would. I suppose I'll have to accept, considering your situation." Minaka said, albeit reluctantly. "That is all I have to say Sahashi-san, Karasuba will explain the rest. I wish you good luck!" Minaka disappeared and the TV turned off.

Minato looked around his apartment, not only did it not have enough room for the two of them, it was disgusting where it wasn't outright falling apart. ' _We should get a new place to live.'_

Karasuba rubbed her chin. No doubt Minaka would cut off her MBI card for leaving the Squad, if his tone was anything to believe. Most places in Shinto Teito only accepted MBI cards, since they owned the whole damn city. But Karasuba knew of one place that didn't accept MBI cards at all…

 _Miya._

"K-Karasuba-san, we should find somewhere else to live..."

"I plan on it. There's a little inn in the north of Shinto Teito, place called Maison Izumo. It doesn't accept MBI cards so we'll have to work to pay rent. I don't mind though," Karasuba said, her eyes filling with anger.

"Okay, Karasuba-san. I'll get a job and use the rest of my money to pay for a few months. How much is it?"

Karasuba smiled. "Only ¥50,000. A week's wage for a decent job."

Minato sighed. "If I could get my deposit back then I could pay for a room for 6 months at least!"

Karasuba's grin widened and she stood up, making for the door. "I'll be right back."

 _-Out on the sidewalk somewhere-_

Karasuba came out of Minato's old landlord's office with some blood on her knuckles. Minato was scared, not by moving, or his life problems or even his landlord. No, by Karasuba (surprise surprise). Not only was his deposit completely refunded, but the last two months' rent were, too! And on top of that, his things were pre-arranged to go to Izumo Inn by his landlord and confirmed by his own eyes.

But he didn't question it, he had his money and he was happy, sort of. The two were both on their way to Izumo Inn, with Karasuba walking with a slight spring in her step. Minato couldn't tell if she was happy or not, but he somehow knew she was… unsettled. Just a little, and she'd probably skin him alive if he brought it up, but a twinge of anxiety was definitely there.  
The pair arrived at Izumo Inn, there things waiting for them outside the door. There was also a lady waiting for them. She had a small smile on her face which quickly washed away when she saw Karasuba.

The lady was a slender but shapely woman, with fair skin and brown eyes. She was holding a broom in her hands, likely from doing some chores before she went out to greet them. She wore her purple hair long, all the way down to her waist, with her bangs clipped shorter in a classical hime style. About her person was clad the traditional attire of a miko: a purple hakama, a white haori with a sash-like belt, wooden sandals and a white ribbon to partially hold her hair in place. In short, she was the spitting image of a _yamato nadeshiko_.  
A shine that diminished somewhat as she approached the pair. "Karasuba. It's been a while."

Minato's eyes went from one woman to the other. The woman's flat tone reminded him of the distinction between a greeting and a welcome.

"Indeed it has Miya," Karasuba replied, less unnervingly since, for her, "mildly threatening" seemed to be the default setting. "However, you'll be happy to know I no longer work with MBI."

That did indeed shock Miya, and made her a little happy to some degree. Though not enough to turn off that spine-tingling dread she was exuding. Minato could see quite clearly that Miya wasn't pleased, her fists tightened on the broom and Minato saw it begin to crack. Miya's knuckles, pale. Her eyes may have been thin from her sweet smile but Minato could sense the anger within them.

"And you want to stay here with your Ashikabi?" Miya asked, gesturing to Minato.

"Yeah. I know you aren't one to turn people away," Karasuba said with a slight smirk.

"You're right, I am not," Miya stated, a small flash in her eyes betraying the protest she was under. "However, you must follow the rules Karasuba: no illicit relations will be had at Izumo Inn, nor any violence."

Karasuba smugly raised an eyebrow.

"Outside of training," Miya added, a translucent han'nya mask appearing behind her, scaring Minato, and to some degree Karasuba, shitless.

"D-Don't worry Landlady-san, if we do that we'll go to the privacy of a hotel," Minato stammered, his face rapidly losing color.

"Well then," said Miya, "I would like to welcome you to Izumo Inn. Enjoy your stay." She led them both inside; Minato and Karasuba picked up a few boxes of his stuff before heading in.

"You'll both be staying in room 203; remember, no illicit relations." Miya put her hand on her cheek. "But the odd bit of kissing here or there never hurt anyone."

Minato blushed. Karasuba adopted the same smile she'd worn when she tried to lop off his head.

Minato took the boxes into the room and unpacked, setting up everything they needed. He let out a sigh and smiled.  
Outside the room, Karasuba and Miya were staring each other down, both with looks of pure hatred on their faces: Miya's on full display, Karasuba's focused entirely through her eyes.

"I still haven't forgotten that day," Karasuba stated.

"Neither have I, Karasuba. I will accept you living here, but if you put a single toe out of line, I will kill you and your Ashikabi," Miya threatened.

Karasuba felt a pang of fury toward Miya, threatening her was one thing, but her Ashikabi… Would Miya really use him to keep her in line?

 _And why am I even thinking about it? He's just a human_. Karasuba felt the anxiety in her chest get bigger and bigger as she thought about Minato dying by Miya's hand.

 _Oh right, because if he dies…_ Karasuba would've breathed a sigh of relief if not for the person facing her. She refused to give Miya the satisfaction. Still, the mystery was solved.  
Karasuba glared at Miya, before disappearing into her new room. There she found Minato, who had finished fixing up the place, making it their own little slice of heaven.

Karasuba took stock of Minato. He was just so... weak. Vulnerable. He looked like a strong breeze would snap him in two. Sure, he dodged her strikes but it was luck. All Minato was, was a blushing, skinny weakling!

Karasuba grinned. "Minato~"

Minato turned to Karasuba and instead found a ravenous puma eying him.

"My new _pet_..." it drooled.

Karasuba pushed Minato back onto the futon. She kneeled on him, putting her knees on his chest and forcefully restraining his hands above his head. She lowered her face down to his and licked his cheek, drawing her tongue up his face over and over again as her breath grew heavier, more ravenous each time. He winced as she bit his lip, drawing blood for her to suckle on. She felt a flare shoot through her body as her wings emerged from her back, savoring the coppery tang of her prey before swallowing the red nectar.

"Mmmmh, you taste good. At least you're not a total coward." Karasuba forced her lips against Minato's, pushing her tongue into his mouth and smacking down his own. He got a taste of his own blood, like some barbaric offering on a pagan altar. She pulled away from him and felt another bolt of power course through her, causing her to suck in a shuddering gasp as a wicked grin split her face. She then looked down at Minato, with a look that was pure nightmare fuel given a face.

"I hope this clarifies our relationship," Karasuba breathed, drawing her nails down his cheek.

Minato gulped. _What have I got myself into?_

The _ronin_ was eventually saved by, of all people, his new landlady. Miya called upstairs to request they help with chores, and to silently remind them it was the least they could do since he was paying _waaaay_ less than typical Teito rent. Karasuba went out the back, trimming the grass and watering the plants while Minato tidied up the front step. As he was sweeping up stray bits of foam and cardboard, he felt a presence behind him. He saw a woman standing there, smiling at him. She wore Chinese dress which was so short it was scandalous. In addition to her toned legs the dress showed off her huge cleavage and a small part of her lower torso. Her face was as mature as her body and radiated such serene beauty. Like the landlady, she too, kept her raven-colored hair partially tied back.

"Hello~. Are you Minato Sahashi?" she said with a sweet smile, though her voice carried a hint of whispery nonchalance to it.

Minato nodded quickly. "Uh-huh. Who are you?"

"I'm Kazehana. I've been a resident here for a while now. In other words," she said cheerfully, leaning on the stair railing, "your new neighbor."

"Kazehana-san... nice to meet you." Minato held out his hand toward her, and upon shaking it she shivered with sheer delight from his touch.

Kazehana hadn't felt like this in a long time, her heart began thumping in her chest at an unbelievable rate. Her cheeks became flushed, she looked like a blushing bride on the first night with her groom.

All of which Minato missed, of course, due to his lack of experiences with the fairer sex.  
Kazehana had to resist the urge to jump Minato right now and wing herself, then do some things that Miya would surely kick her out for. She'd fallen into that trap before, and just like that a host of nagging doubts beset her. What if that comely, boyish face was just a facade? What if he was just another handsome bastard pig, disguised as a caring soul?

What if… What if she was rejected again? She wasn't sure if her heart could bear it, not a second time.

And then there was Karasuba. The boy already had her, why would Karasuba even think about letting Minato wing another? Kazehana internally sighed, but maintained her smile.

"So, you came with Karasuba?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Yeah, I met her yesterday in a coffee shop. Two seconds later, she was chasing me down." Minato chuckled a little, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah, that sounds like Karasuba. What next, she drank your blood?" jokingly asked the woman. Kazehana then noticed the mark on his lip, and her humor dimmed. "Hate to say I'm not surprised."

"I was more surprised that such a beautiful woman was so... dominant," Minato laughed nervously.

A twinkle entered Kazehana's eye, like a cat's in the dark. "And how was it?" she purred.

Minato turned completely red at her inquiry. "I-I, well, um…"

 _Oh god, he's adorable!_ Kazehana squealed, though she did her best to keep quiet. It wasn't easy, because every failed attempt to find his words only made her that much more convinced of his honesty.

"... I, I think I'm more a 'hug-and-kiss' kind of guy."

Kazehana grabbed Minato and pulled him into a big hug, pressing his face between her massive breasts.

"Like this?" she breathed seductively. She felt hot at his touch, wanted him so bad! Her nags about his integrity were being buried as deep as his face was in her cleavage. He was like an innocent little puppy, utterly and completely clueless but oh, she didn't care, she just needed to have him!

"Kazehana, what do you think you're doing?" The buxom beauty felt a sword on her shoulder. She spun around so fast it ruffled Minato's captive hair.

"Karasuba!" Instantly, Minato was free from her embrace, disappointedly gasping for air. "I was just saying that he's lucky to have you and that he's really cute."

"Cute?" Karasuba looked over to Minato, her faced flushed. "Yeah, I guess." She shook her head to get rid of the blush.

Karasuba lowered her sword. She narrowed her eyes at Kazehana, who was still smiling nervously, then grabbed her by the dress and dragged her inside.

"Are you reacting to Minato?" Karasuba demanded, once they were in the kitchen.

Kazehana nodded quickly. "Just being near him is making me horny as hell. We're not even in the same room anymore and I still can't resist him…" She let out all of her pent-up fear in a ragged sigh. "But for everyone's sake, I'll try."

Karasuba let out a sigh in turn. She knew Minato would attract other Sekirei but she didn't think it would be this fast.

To Kazehana's surprise, the Black Sekirei smiled. "You can wing yourself," she said to her counterpart. "But not today. I want some time alone with him." Karasuba grinned maliciously, thinking about the fun she and Minato could have, and how he would squirm under her grasp.

"Fine." Kazehana folded her arms around her bust. "But if I can't to control myself, you only have yourself to blame."

Karasuba leveled a paralyzing stare at Kazehana. "No," she said simply, empty smile still plastered across her face. "If you can't control yourself, I'll blame _you_."

Kazehana flinched, ever so slightly, before reaching down into her cleavage and pulling out a bottle of sake.

 _How did she do that?_ Karasuba shook her head and went back to the front step, where Minato was sweeping up the last spots of detritus.

Karasuba snuck up behind Minato and roughly grabbed Minato by the waist, spinning him around and grinning. Minato could feel the powerful grip from Karasuba crushing him; his bones felt as though they could crack at any moment.

' _Just how_ strong _is she?'_

"Done with the step yet?" she asked calmly, her eyes like grey storm clouds, rolling with pent-up lightning.

"Al- Almost," Minato winced. "How strong _are_ you, Karasuba-san?"

Karasuba was taken aback by the question, her clamp on his pelvis loosening. "I'm the second or third strongest Sekirei." She decided to forgive him for reminding her of _those two_ , but he'd get a very stern, very _brutal_ lecture on them later.

"What?! Seriously?!" Minato stood agape. How had he managed to wing a Sekirei of her power? "Who's the strongest?"

"Sekirei No. 1, Miya Asama. In other words, the Landlady." For Minato's mouth to drop any lower, it would have needed an anvil, and a whole lot of duct tape.

"Miya-san! She's the strongest Sekirei?!"

A cold chill ran down both Minato and Karasuba's spine.

"Karasuba, I don't like that you're revealing things about me." Both Minato and Karasuba turned around and saw Miya, han'nya mask behind her, with a cute smile on her face.

"I was just informing my Ashikabi here of what he deserves to know, Miya," Karasuba informed the landlady, her tone completely disconnected from the aura of dread No. 1 was exuding. "Since it's going be me and him fighting you atop Kouten."

Miya's hands tightened a little on her rug-beater. "And you will lose, Karasuba."

"But I can't lose, Miya," Karasuba said simply. "Since I'll be training with you, I'll know all your moves."

Miya chuckled, which finally put Karasuba on edge.

"You'll try," she said with her sweet smile.

Within seconds Miya vanished, leaving Karasuba alone with Minato. Her wicked grin gracing her face again, at this point Minato thought it suited her better than any other expression.

"Minato-kun you would do anything for me, correct?" Karasuba asked, her grip tightening on his pelvis.

' _I don't think I have a choice'_ Minato mused. "Um, sure I would."

"Good, you're already making a wonderful new pet, perhaps you'll survive me after all."

"Y-you aren't going to kill me are you?"

The Black Sekirei merely laughed. "Fortunately for you, suicide isn't on my to-do list."

Minato visibly stiffened.

' _Suicide? No, it couldn't be...'_

 _-Later that evening-_

The night was still young, the black sky had just began to settle and the stars come out. The night breeze made the leaves on the trees blow slightly in the wind; an amiable sight for Minato as he was lost in his train of thought; out in the back garden of Izumo Inn. If what Karasuba said was true, then Minato would have a harem of Sekirei at his disposal. A harem of superpowered women, using and abusing him as readily as Karasuba did. How the hell was he supposed to survive _that_ when he could barely endure one? The thought made him shiver.  
On the plus side, if Karasuba was in the top 3 strongest Sekirei, she had to be his secret weapon. No doubt that other Ashikabi had ties or connections with people in MBI and knew of Karasuba's winging, and they must have multiple Sekirei.

 _Karasuba is a single-numbered Sekirei. Minaka said she was No. 4, Miya is No. 1. So, the higher the number, the stronger the… Wait, then she'd be_ fourth _-strongest. So, the single numbers in general are stronger, but not in any kind of order to one another?_ Minato shook his head. How the heck was he supposed to figure this out knowing only two of them?

He was taken from his thoughts when someone sat down next to him. She was a well-endowed young woman with long, dark brown hair, brown eyes and a knockout body that almost matched Kazehana for development. Covering said figure was a pink and violet belly top with a golden star on the front and a golden ten on the back. A pair of capri jeans hugged her luscious legs and showed off her beautiful ass.

"Hey there!" she said, holding her knees up to her chest. "Haven't seen you around. You must be the new tenant. I'm Uzume!"

"Minato," he replied, trying his best not to sneak another peek at her outlined boobs. "What are you doing up this late?"

"I could ask the same, thinking about Karasuba no doubt," Uzume said with a grin.

Minato blushed. "I am not!"

Uzume laughed. "Hey, I'm not judging. I would love it if my Ashikabi thought of me constantly."

"I don't know how, but I had a feeling you were a Sekirei." Her feminine gaze latched onto his own, and for some reason _he_ was the one blushing. "So, um, what's your Ashikabi like?"

Uzume wistfully sighed and looked up at the stars. "I've been wondering that for a while now. Hard to talk about someone you haven't met yet."

"Oh…" Minato felt sorry for her. She seemed completely different from Karasuba, like to her, an Ashikabi was more than a handy tool. "If you don't mind me asking, what would you want in an Ashikabi?"

Uzume was not expecting that sort of question "Well, _that's_ a bit personal... though I wouldn't mind the gender, y'know; most Sekirei are bi-sexual."

"Every Sekirei must be different." _Every Sekirei has different quirks to them, but mostly all have the same sexual preference. It seems that not all Sekirei are like Karasuba and Miya, maybe some are just… ordinary. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking.'_

"Whatcha thinking about?" Minato regained his grip on reality and noticed that Uzume was very close to his face, her cheeks a little flushed.

"Ahh, nothing. I was just thinking about Karasuba again, anyway, I better go. See ya!" Minato hurried off.

Uzume smiled to herself, she placed a hand on her chest, then her breasts as she began to blush deeply. ' _Gotta wonder…'_

Minato, meanwhile, had only one thing on his mind. An Ashikabi. It was something that was boggling his mind, he wanted to know why a Sekirei needed one and what caused the reaction and the affection. Furthermore, why only one half of that equation factored into Karasuba.

Minato decided to back upstairs and sit in his room. Karasuba was training with Miya in a secluded area somewhere, so they wouldn't destroy the surrounding street. Thus, he was left in the house with Uzume and possibly Kazehana.

In his room, he sat in a disassembling chair that he'd never gotten around to building in his own apartment. He looked around the place, particularly at the futon. A drop of blood rested there, from when Karasuba got a bit bitey. What he found strange was that his blood had activated her wings, something he'd thought was supposed to be done with a kiss. A kiss (or blood sample) from a special someone that to Minato's human mind was only known as an "Ashikabi".

Minato's brain was banging around his head in frustration over the enigma that were Ashikabi and Sekirei.

Sekirei were aliens, for lack of a better term, that needed a partner. The partner was the Ashikabi, but that's what got to Minato the most.

Why?

Why did they need Ashikabi? Aren't they already so powerful?

Why do Ashikabi feel the connection? Aren't they just simple humans?

Are Ashikabi predetermined, or can Sekirei react to multiple people?

What happens if an Ashikabi is unfaithful? Would it affect the Sekirei?

What happens if the Sekirei is unfaithful; is it even possible?

Was it possible to have multiple Ashikabi? Assuming an Ashikabi could have multiple Sekirei, as Karasuba implied, is it possible for a Sekirei to have two, three or even four Ashikabi?!

And the last question Minato had... Why did Karasuba mention suicide?

Questions, questions, questions! Minato felt as though they would consume him! But, he decided to get it off his mind for now. He needed a rest, and so he closed his eyes and leaned back... before he was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Hello~. Are you awake, Minato-san?"

Minato opened his eyes to see Kazehana, with a small blush on her face, sitting next to him on his futon. Her cobalt blue nightdress was loose; it looked like it could fall off her shoulders at any moment.

"Hey, Kazehana-san. What do you want?"

Kazehana looked down at herself, only seeing what she thought was disgusting. "Nothing much, Minato-san. I just want some company is all."

Minato frowned skeptically; her expression and that liter-sized bottle next to her were telling him something else. He decided not to pry and sat up, as he had about a million other things on his mind.

"Kazehana? Is it possible to react to more than one person?" Kazehana was a bit intrigued by the question, but she couldn't help but smile.

"What gave me away?" she asked.

"I, uh, may have overheard your conversation with Karasuba," Minato said, scratching the side of his face awkwardly.

"Oh, I see," Kazehana smirked.

"Yeah, I probably would have figured it out anyway. You and Uzume look and act so similar that it's scary." Minato smiled a little. "And there was the whole suffocation thing…"

"Oh, don't lie," she smirked, that glimmer re-entering her eye. "We both know you loved it."

"Alright, I won't," Minato replied. The _ronin_ rested back on his hands. "Honestly, that's what got me thinking, about you being a Sekirei. It felt..." _Warm, soft, sexy._ "-like something Karasuba would do, if she wasn't so…"

"Aggressive?" Kazehana offered.

"Well, 'Karasuba'," Minato finished, prompting a chain of chortling from her. "Besides, if you were human you'd be the most unique and beautiful woman I'd ever seen."

Kazehana's subdued laughter ceased and she felt her heart pound. Beautiful, unique. No one had told her that before, never so honestly. Her heart fluttered and she felt a small weight leave her chest…

"But anyway, could you answer my question, please?" Minato asked.

"Well, since you're such a sweet boy," Kazehana cooed, earning her a blush from him. "A Sekirei could react to one person weakly, only feeling the connection close by. Meanwhile, they could react to another strongly and feel their love from across the world."

One of Minato's one million questions was confirmed.

"W-Would it be possible to have two Ashikabi?"

Kazehana looked at Minato confused, then tapped her chin in thought. "I don't think it's impossible. Maybe if the Sekirei had strong reactions to both people."

"But, how would it work? How would the winging and the relationship go?" Minato asked, curiosity lighting his eyes ablaze.

"Hmm, perhaps if the Sekirei were to kiss one then the other. Or both at the same time. As for the relationship..." She smiled seductively. " _Lots_ of threesomes."

Minato simultaneously blushed and laughed. "I wish I could test this sort of stuff, but that would make me no better than MBI."

"You certainly think a lot, don't you?" Kazehana teased, taking a long swig from the nearby bottle.

"Yeah, can't help it. Thought and theory are just natural for me." Minato scratched the back of his head. "What about you? You think much?"

Kazehana finished her drink and leaned back to rest her head on a pillow. "Nope. Most of the time I'm usually chugging a bottle of sake with Uzume."

"Oh come on," Minato prodded playfully. "You can't honestly tell me you _never_ think!"

"Sure I can," Kazehana countered, equally as jovial. She pouted a little. "You're not calling me a liar, are you?"

"N-No," Minato stammered, "just, maybe, you're not, erm, not remembering everything?"

"Well, that _does_ happen when you're drunk!" the Sekirei laughed. However, as his words simmered in her mind, she realized he did have a point. "I guess… The only time I really think is when I fantasize about my perfect Ashikabi."

Kazehana's cheeks turned red with a lustful blush and her eyes eased shut. "Someday…" she sighed.

The wistful sigh that escaped from her lips compelled Minato to look at her. _Really_ look at her. By day she'd been a bouncy, friendly eyeful, but by night, she seemed a lot more mature and beautiful; her night gown especially showed off how sexy she was, even in its haphazard state. The moonlight highlighted every supple curve on her body, alluring him even more than her usual skin-tight dress. Minato was in awe of her. Within the last few hours he had met some of the most gorgeous women he'd ever seen in his life but Kazehana was on a new level. What's more was that, from what he heard from Karasuba and Kazehana's conversation, she was absolutely crazy about him. That alone was almost enough to drive him over the edge, and as the moonlight shone on her Minato thought he was looking at Tsukuyomi in female form. He decided to go back to the conversation, as thinking about her was sending blood to the wrong areas.

"Do all Sekirei have a perfect Ashikabi?" Minato asked.

"Not all of us. Some will take what they get, some have rough idea. Most of the older ones, I'd say one through fifteen, have an ideal Ashikabi." Minato nodded and chuckled to himself.

"Oh? What's so funny?" Kazehana inquired.

"Nothing, it's just... I can't be Karasuba's 'perfect' Ashikabi."

Kazehana smiled in turn. "You'd be surprised. She always said she'd like someone to dominate."

' _I guess I'm not a total disappointment' after all,_ Minato thought, a small silver lining in what was otherwise a very… _diametric_ relationship.

"You got any other questions, I'll do my best," Kazehana said, close to passing out from the alcohol in her system.

"Just one more: what happens when a Sekirei is... unfaithful?"

Kazehana was very surprised, and a little intrigued.  
"That's a good question. There _has_ been a case of that, when other ships went to planets similar to this one. According to Miya, in the history logs on the ship, it says: 'On one occasion, the pure love of a Sekirei had been shattered. One, who was unsatisfied by her Ashikabi, slept with another person. The girl lost her mind and became a sex-crazed devient, until about a week after the initial betrayal."

"What happened then?" asked the young _ronin_.

"Her heart stopped."

Minato stared at her, aghast; she said that like it was simple as flipping a lightswitch. If this was how serious most Sekirei took their bonds, he was glad it had only happened once.  
"So, you get what you want, but then have it taken in the ultimate punishment. That's, um…" He coughed. "That's a little harsh, don't you think?"

Kazehana shook her head. "To shatter the bond of love between any being is unacceptable. You would deserve any form of punishment, even more so between a Sekirei and an Ashikabi."

"Well, my heart goes out to the people who were rejected," Minato mused, staring up at the ceiling. "I know how much it hurts, even more when it's someone you care about."

Kazehana realised that her question had been answered. She looked down at herself, her garnet eyes starting to water over as an old, painful echo resurfaced in her mind.

 _I'm sorry, but I already have someone I love_.

Kazehana felt the urge to vomit, not from the alcohol in her system. The memories came flooding back, more and more as the hole in her heart grew bigger and bigger. She had to fill it, and the person who could was lying no more than two feet away from her! But she stayed her ground. As magical as it would be, on a soft, moonlit night such as this, to roll up to his side, kiss his lips and make love to her new Ashikabi, twin blades of wrath hovered over her head, and ousted her back to her own privacy.

"Minato-kun, I enjoyed our little chat. I would refer your questions to No. 2 if you meet her." Kazehana left the room in a hurry, rushing back to her own and sliding the door shut behind her. She tore her dress off, burying her head into the pillow of her futon. Lying stark naked on the bedspread, she thought about her perfect Ashikabi.

It was said every Sekirei was led to their destined one by fate, one that would forever entwine the pair in an unbreakable matrimony. Even now, she felt that missing part of herself expand, a yawning void that could only be closed by the one so precious she called them "my Ashikabi".

But only Minaka would come to mind, returning her to those awful memories... Her new feelings pushed back, but there was only one way she could think of to banish them for good.

Tears began soaking her pillow, the cotton muffling her sobs.

 _I want you…_ _Oh, Minato, what am I going to do?_


	2. The Wings of Wind

Minato couldn't sleep. Not because of his conversation with Kazehana (though, as he was of the red-blooded male persuasion, she did remain on his mind), nor because of his unanswered questions, still banging away at him.

It was because Karasuba was crushing his ribs.

Minato didn't know whether she held him like this to assert her dominance, or if she just wanted something to hold, but he was leaning toward the former. Since escape had proven impossible, Minato leaned his head into her chest, closing his eyes and at least trying to get some sleep.

She tightened her grip on him; Minato was sure she was being dominant now.

He looked up at Karasuba, seeing the very small smile on her face as she slept. She's probably dreaming of killing something, he thought. Most likely Miya, if the tension between those two is as bad as they make it out to be.

Unwittingly, Minato spoke out loud. "Maybe defeating Miya will make her happy. At least, I hope it does."

He closed his eyes again, letting his head rest on her chest once again. Karasuba grinned to herself: she heard him.

'Not a total disappointment after all.'

* * *

The sun shone through Minato's window, hitting him full in the face. He groaned deeply; was the sun trying to be annoying? It shone brighter than usual; knowing his luck it was a Sekirei controlling the sun who was out to murder him. He sat up, noticing that he wasn't being crushed by the monster who slept in his bed.

'She may crush me at night, but at least this place is nice.'

Minato got up from his futon, rubbing his back. 'If I don't have a bruise, I'll be amazed.' He grabbed some clothes from the drawers on the other side of the room: his trademark white shirt and blue jeans. He left the room and made his way down the hall toward the bathroom. As he entered the dressing room, he noticed it was slightly steamy, a thin layer of condensation coating his skin. He looked over to the clothes basket and noticed a familiar purple dress.

Minato gulped. Just in case, he knocked on the sliding bathroom doors. "Is anyone in there?"

"Oh! Minato-kun! It's me, Kazehana!"

Minato expected as much. "Alright! Give me a shout when your done!" As he finished his sentence, the door slid open in a flash.

There she stood, her full body on display. It was a feast for the saucers that had replaced Minato's eyes. Those curves, those legs… did he even need to mention her chest?

"Um," he burbled weakly, his brain trying to piece itself back together, "you're naked, Kazehana-san…"

Kazehana chuckled. "Well done, captain obvious. Should I assume you take baths with your clothes on, then?" Kazehana glanced down at Minato's crotch, specifically a rather large bulge. What a shame that would be.

"Yeah, well, so do most guys I imagine," Minato muttered, crimson in the face. "So, I'm gonna go, cause if Karasuba sees this then it'll be both our heads on a pike."

Minato sprinted away, leaving Kazehana alone in the bath herself. She closed the door and re-entered the tub, adoring the feeling of the hot water touching her body.

She had light bags under her eyes; she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before.

Her dreams and memories plagued her the entire night, at least until three o'clock when her thoughts finally turned to something she enjoyed, which let her do something she enjoyed just as much.

But it was made all worth it when she could see his face. That's why she jumped out the tub: she just had to see his face and hear him say her name.

'Kazehana-san…' he would say; it made her heart flutter. Her fingers began to drift down, past her breasts and across her flat stomach. Maybe just one little caress, a quick touch, before Miya and her rules had a chance to dispel the escalating fantasy.

Her thoughts were interrupted when The Black Sekirei entered the room, as naked as the day she was born… "Grown", whichever. Kazehana had the wherewithal to not jerk her hand away, instead sliding it over her leg with a bar of soap concealing her trail. She never noticed how lanky Karasuba was. The All Generations Discipline Squaddie (she made a note to never say that out loud) was skinny, but it complimented her physique, allowing her to remain agile and limber. Her chest wasn't outrageously huge like most Sekirei, but such enormous breasts on such a slender woman wouldn't look right.

'Hmm, if she does let him wing me, I might have a few things to try with her,' Kazehana mused, a plethora of dirty thoughts flooding her mind.

The lanky Sekirei clambered her way into the bath tub, sitting down opposite Kazehana. That bestial smirk on her face... Kazehana narrowed her eyes, studying The Black Sekirei.

"You look at me with such suspicion," Karasuba noted smugly. "How could I hide a blade if I'm naked?"

"Just trying to figure out why you're grinning," Kazehana replied, her own sly smirk gracing her face.

"It might have something to do with your little conversation with 'Minato-kun'."

Kazehana wasn't surprised that she knew. "Listening in, were you?"

"Of course. I saw you talking to him, answering his endless questions. Surprised you didn't lose your patience," Karasuba said casually.

Kazehana tutted. "You shouldn't lose your patience with him. It weakens the bond."

"Speaking of the bond, I saw what you were wearing." Karasuba moved closer. "Your legs twitching."

Closer again.

"Your body sweating."

They were practically touching now.

"How close were you to raping him?"

The Black Sekirei's words shocked Kazehana. "I would not, no, never rape him," Kazehana spat, near bursting with fury.

'Would I? Would… she?'

"Well, maybe 'rape' was the wrong word." Karasuba pushed away from Kazehana, keeping her eyes locked on the other Sekirei's. "I imagine you would steal him away and have your way with him. Then, return him like nothing happened.""Like you wouldn't."

Karasuba looked offended. "Me? Steal away what's mine? I don't know if you've noticed but Minato is my little pet, mine to play with and use to win this game. Any extras he picks up are for my pleasure," Karasuba sneered sadistically.

"What does that make me?"

"'Seconds'," she breathed.

* * *

Minato, still dressed in his nightwear, had been found by Miya sitting out on the step. She did not interact with him, just looked at him.

How did this boy manage to wing Karasuba?

Miya had lived and fought with the original Discipline Squad. She knew them. More than that, she felt them.

She knew that Kazehana wanted the manliest man that ever existed, which made Miya wonder what exactly Kazehana considered "masculine".

She knew that No. 2, Matsu, didn't care whether or not she got a man or a woman, as long as they were perverted as she was. The Landlady decided to keep a closer eye on Kazehana, as she and No. 2 had gotten rather chummy during their time on the Squad, and Miya would be damned if she let Matsu's filthy ways sully her inn, even by proxy.

No. 5, Mutsu, wanted a beautiful woman, curvaceous and high class. So, essentially, he sought someone who could pass for a Sekirei, provided, of course, it wasn't a Matsu act-alike.

But Karasuba was always a mystery. She never spoke about her desire of an Ashikabi, merely her desire to kill. At least, to Miya.

When Miya looked at this boy, she could not see anything that Karasuba would desire. Miya had always assumed that Karasuba wanted someone hardened, someone who could fight. But maybe if she knew Karasuba more, she would understand.

"You going to stare at me all day?"

Miya was slightly surprised he noticed her. She stepped forward and sat down next to Minato. "How did you know I was there?"

"My Mom used to do the same: stand behind me, loom over me when she knew I had done something wrong," Minato reminisced.

"Ahh, yes. Takami-san scared us all," Miya said, her usual sweet smile on her face.

"That reminds me. I've been meaning to ask, but how do you know my Mom? Karasuba knew her but never explained how, I imagine you would know her, too?"

"Oh yes. I know her, she was a handler for lots of different Sekirei. I can't tell you who exactly she handled, but I bet a lot of Sekirei would have nice things to say."

"Even though she scared everyone," Minato joked.

Miya put a hand to her mouth and chuckled. "I believe because she was so intimidating. Everyone was on their best behavior, and thus received the best of her work."

"My Mom was like that with me and my sister, Yukari. Always hounding me to do better, always on Yukari's case to be better than her brother." He attempted to hide behind a small smile. "Guess it was all for nothing."

Miya took a good look at Minato, a good long look. What kind of man had ended up on her doorstep, she couldn't decipher. His face was deep in thought, much like Takami's was oft to do. Yet unlike Takami, he wasn't hot headed. From what Miya had seen he was quite timid, almost frail. His constant blushing around Karasuba is extremely adorable. I can see why Kazehana took a liking to him.

Miya internally sighed, seeing the baffling love blossom within Kazehana made her long for Takehito. Perhaps her own Ashikabi would appear one day. On a note of similar likelihood, perhaps Minaka would go sane and revert this whole mad affair back to its S-Plan doctrines.

A shame. It must be nice to have an Ashikabi…

Miya's thoughts were interrupted by the door sliding open. There stood MBI's former attack dog, looking for her new pet. She licked her lips when she saw him, sitting with Miya of all people. She kneeled down and wrapped her arms around her Minato's neck.

"Hello Minato." Karasuba ran her tongue along Minato's neck. "Did you sleep well, pet?"

Minato turned red. "Well enough."

Karasuba tightened her grip a little. "And what does 'well enough' mean? Tell me."

The Black Sekirei felt his muscles start to tense, slowly, slightly, while he gave her no immediate answer. Her hand slithered down to trace a line between his pectorals. It made a left turn to stop over his heart, pressing down and feeling what little muscle had bothered to develop. "Tell me."

"Well…" Minato hesitated. "You got a little too, um, affectionate."

"'Too affectionate'," Karasuba repeated. Her arms began to constrict around his neck, and within seconds the young ronin found himself without air. "You'd like me to be less 'affectionate'?"

Minato's hands hung at his sides, still listening.

"If you really want that, then say it."

He still wasn't panicking, or speaking, until he realized, much to Karasuba's twisted delight, that she wasn't letting go. His hands flew to his neck, the adorable little thing, thinking he could actually dislodge a Sekirei, and it only took the tiniest fraction of Karasuba's strength before he went limp and lost consciousness in her arms.

"Karasuba," Miya said dangerously, her narrowed eyes like poisoned daggers.

"What?" her tenant replied, as innocently as she could sell it, letting go of Minato and allowing him to fall back against her. "He doesn't mind."

She gave him a few back-hand taps against his face. "Right?"

His neck no longer in an iron vice, Minato's eyes fluttered open. "Huh, wha?"

"Right?" she repeated, a slightly aggressive note entering her voice.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine!" he burbled, trying to sit up but once again feeling himself restrained.

Karasuba looked up, her grey eyes meeting the purple of Miya's. "He says he's fine."

"So I heard," Miya hissed, her eyes almost glowing within the shadow that had fallen over her features. "And if you ever try something like that again, Karasuba, in my inn no less, you shall only live long enough to see me break my house rule against violence."

Unbeknownst to them, a third pair of feminine eyes watched from around the corner.

Karasuba chuckled. "Don't worry, Miya, it won't happen again." She then leaned close to her Ashikabi's left ear. "...now that we've cleared things up between us. Right, Minato?"

The ronin felt the noose around his neck begin to tighten again, and so chose to nod. He'd gotten the message, loud and clear.

"Good," said Karasuba pertly. She stood, so quickly that Minato hadn't time to stop himself from falling over backwards and hitting his head on the hard front step. He instinctively wanted to complain, but his sore neck set him straight.

Still taking Miya's death-glare, Karasuba returned inside. The Landlady looked to Minato, not even allowed to rub his bumped head for fear of his Sekirei's abuse.

'My condolences, Sahashi Minato,' she thought. 'The days ahead will be longer for you than any other Ashikabi.'

Minato, through winced eyes, watched his Landlady leave him, clenching his fists and still in his pajamas. Karasuba already saw him as a squashable worm, and he could only hurt his image by giving in to her pain-game. But damn, did that step hurt! He felt like he'd been mugged by the Golem of Prague, wielding a hammer! This couldn't have been a normal bump; Karasuba must've given him a little push to send him on his way.

Speaking of which, he felt a pair of hands slide beneath his shoulders and peel him off the ground, sitting him back up and letting his headache spread itself out. Those same hands circled his head to cover his eyes, but since he was still rattled, his torso began leaning back to return to its position of least effort.

And in its slothfulness, it was thwarted by what only could've been a woman. He felt a very compelling piece of evidence on his back; rather, two of them.

"Guess who!" That voice, those beautiful cushions and those chipper tones, there was no other person it could be.

"Hey Uzume."

Uzume let out a small puff and took her hands away from Minato's eyes.

"Aw, you figured it out! You could've at least pretended you didn't recognize me," Uzume pouted, pulling away from the ronin to sit beside him.

She was only wearing a bra and panties… SHE'S ONLY WEARING A BRA AND PANTIES!

"A-Any p-particular reason why you're half-naked?" Minato stuttered, struggling to remain composed.

"A-Any p-particular reason why you're not?" Uzume countered, mimicking his fluster. As a small breeze picked up, she looked towards the dawn's horizon, closed her eyes, leaned her head back, and stretched her arms out wide. "Because I like being naked. Still have to wear something in case Miya throws me out. Why haven't you gotten changed yet?"

This surprised Minato. "Last time I checked, Kazehana was still in the bath."

Uzume shrugged. "So? Aren't you and her, like, a thing?"

"Where'd you get that idea?"

The Sekirei gave him a mirthful smirk. "Somewhere between the fact that she was moaning your name in her sleep, and the way she looks at you," Uzume giggled, crawling closer to Minato. "Or maybe Karasuba won't let you look at any other girl? Is that it? I saw the way she was-" Uzume made quotation marks with her fingers. "-'holding' you. I'm no lawyer, but some people would call that domestic abuse, y'know."

Minato shook his head. "No, no, no. It's not like that, she's just a little rough." Minato sighed wearily.

"And some people would call that denial." Uzume giggled again. She edged closer to Minato and whispered in his ear. "Wanna see how a Sekirei should treat their Ashikabi?"

A shiver ran down Minato's spine as Uzume began to feel his chest. Uzume climbed on top of the Ashikabi's left thigh, who was now propping himself up with his two hands. She held his head under her chin while lovingly stroking his hair.

'This is... oddly relaxing.'

"You two seem to be having fun." Minato and Uzume both looked up to find Kazehana staring down at them. Kazehana was wearing her usual purple chinese dress, though her hair was still slightly wet.

Uzume smirked, still holding her fellow tenant. "Jealous, Kazehana?"

Kazehana returned her smirk, sat down behind Minato and wrapped her legs around his waist. She pulled him into her arms, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Should I be?" She began nuzzling his cheek with her own. "If you can't even keep him when another woman strolls along, then I have nothing to worry about."

Uzume grinned. "Is that a challenge, Kazehana?"

"Maybe it is."

Uzume dismounted Minato's thigh and kneeled in between his legs. She cupped his chin and moved her head towards his until their noses were touching. Minato couldn't turn any redder.

"Um, can you two let me go now? I need to take a bath," Minato piped up.

Uzume moved her head back. "Don't be scared Minato."

Kazehana loosened her grip on him. "Just because Karasuba treats you like garbage, doesn't mean other Sekirei will, okay?"

Uzume got up from in between Minato's legs. The gates in his nose leaked red as he got a look at her from below, before she held out her hand to help him up. Minato took her hand and broke from Kazehana's grip, much to her chagrin.

He hurriedly excused himself to go take his bath, leaving the two women smiling towards his back..

"You, too?" Kazehana asked as Uzume sat down next to her.

"Yeah, but he's not the first I reacted to."

"Who was the other?"

Uzume sighed. "This girl. I reacted pretty strongly to her but she was sick and stuck to a wheelchair."

"Why didn't you wing yourself?"

"Takami once told me that some Sekirei reacted to multiple people, I thought that I might be able to find someone else. I know it's horrible but I wanted someone…" The brunette looked slightly ill as she enunciated her next word. "better."

Kazehana let out a small laugh. "So you wanted hot man with a high sex drive?"

Uzume laughed out loud, clutching her gut. "Pretty much. If I could spend the whole Plan in bed with my Ashikabi then I'd be a happy girl."

"Are you happy with Minato?" Kazehana inquired.

"So far," Uzume said with a grin,"I just need to know two things: his size, and the state of his virginity."

"Well, I've seen his bulge and it's pretty huge. As for his virginity... I bet he's a virgin. He's sweet, but let's face it: he'd never come near us if we weren't neighbors."

"If we weren't all over him, you mean," Uzume remarked.

The bustier Sekirei chuckled. "Also true. The sad part is… Karasuba will be the one to take it."

Both women shuddered. A rabid bear would probably make a gentler partner.

Uzume huffed mirthfully. "We talk about all this sex stuff like we aren't virgins."

Kazehana rested a cheek on her hand and her arm on her knee. "Yeah. Yeah, that's true."

* * *

After Minato had taken his bath, he retired to his room. It was only when Miya called everyone for breakfast that he emerged blinking from his grotto. Or rather, Karasuba's grotto, because he was under no delusions about who the master of the bedroom was.

If one were looking at the young ronin now, one would see his rather unimpressive Adam's apple plummet to the bottom of his neck.

'What will she do to me when we… If we actually…'

And, indeed, that one who watched him took pity on how dreadful his first time would be, if given to Karasuba instead of her.

Had he been a Sekirei, Minato might have spotted her eyes. But, he was not, and frankly was too hungry to care.

Minato followed the smell of Miya's cooking all the way downstairs; he hoped for some good home cooking after all the takeouts and the atrocities he'd created in his own kitchen.

The table was set and the lovely ladies of Izumo Inn had taken their places, barring Miya of course. There was a space next to Karasuba, who was gesturing for Minato to sit with her. Minato sat down next to Karasuba, expecting a hard elbow to the ribs.

There was a thick tension in the air, which Minato felt he was the cause of. Looking at both Karasuba and Kazehana, he could feel the tension. Karasuba had her eyes locked on Kazehana, while the unwinged Sekirei was trying her best to look every which way but back at her. Unsurprisingly, Uzume was exempt from the suspense between the two older women (though he suspected she might become part of the war if she didn't start wearing clothes). Distracted though they were, sooner or later one of them was bound to catch Minato staring at Uzume's exposed cleavage (like he was doing right now).

Tearing his eyes off of the brunette's boobs, Minato noticed two empty spaces. He assumed one was Miya's, but the other was a mystery.

"Kazehana-san, who's that place for?" Minato asked, pointing to the other empty space.

"That's for Kagari, if he actually decides to come eat with us," Kazehana said.

Karasuba thought for a moment. It must be Homura, if Haihane's reports were accurate.

"Kagari? Who is that?" Karasuba inquired.

"Just one of the tenants," Kazehana replied. "He's a host, so he works nights."

A small smirk appeared on Karasuba's face, "Really? Because I thought it might be Homura."

That caused a jolt of shock even No. 3 couldn't hide. Karasuba could just hear the baffled questions running through her former teammate's head. How could she know? Did she see him? Who else knew? Kazehana would probably guess that there had been reported sightings. But before the flustered woman could answer, Uzume chimed in.

"Wow, got it in one go, Karasuba-san! We don't see him too often, but he appears when he can." Karasuba's head jerked in Uzume's direction. She kept the smirk.

"Thank you for the honesty, No. 10," Karasuba said. "Though might I suggest more clothes at the dinner table?"

"Pfft, who needs clothes? They're just gonna get crumbs on them," Uzume retorted, causing Karasuba to laugh.

Minato breathed a sigh of relief. The tension began to die down as Uzume took the heat off of Kazehana. He laid eyes on the woman who sat across from him, who in turn locked eyes with her desired man.

For her part, No. 3 could feel the electricity in air, the butterflies in her stomach and the heat in her crotch. It was becoming unbearable.

On the other hand, it had never occured to the young ronin how deep her affections may run. He'd noticed the way she acted around him was very… doting, to say the least. He'd never say it to her face, but it made him feel special, much more than Karasuba.

Minato realised that he'd been staring at her for a while now and quickly tore his eyes away from her, to avoid The Black Sekirei's death grip. She was in prime position, and if she wanted to break a bone with her bare hand, his femur was in reach and the table would hide it.

Luckily for his bones, Miya entered the room with a large tray of food. She dished out breakfast to everyone and took her place at the table. She gave her sweet smile and everyone, aside from Karasuba, thanked Miya for the food.

"Minato-san, do you plan on getting a job?" Miya asked.

"Yeah, I'll try and find one ASAP."

Karasuba narrowed her eyes. "You will? Are you trying to escape me, Minato?" That bestial grin was upon Karasuba's face again.

"Well, I need to pay for the rent don't I?" Minato replied, "Besides, I wanna spoil you, Karasuba-san."

Karasuba was little surprised by the statement, even after all the things she done to him, he was being nice to her. You're so stupid, Minato.

Karasuba turned her head away from Minato and began to focus on her breakfast. She'd never admit it but Miya was a damn good cook. It wasn't long before she noticed it, a plant in the corner of the room. There was something hidden in between the leaves and branches. Karasuba grinned. Matsu.

She turned her attention to Miya, remaining calm and collected; "Miya? Have you seen Matsu recently?"

Miya swallowed her food, "Not recently; she's been missing for quite some time. Perhaps some unlucky Ashikabi stumbled on to her."

As Miya and Karasuba continued their conversation about Matsu, Minato leaned across to Kazehana. "Who's Matsu?" he whispered.

"She's Sekirei No. 2. Karasuba used to work with her." Kazehana replied.

Minato gave a quick nod before zoning back into the old enemies' conversation.

"You wouldn't be hiding her, would you Miya?" Karasuba smirked.

"Of course not. Why would I hide her when I can kill those who wish to hurt her?" Miya threatened.

"I don't want to hurt her, Miya. In case you forgot, I left MBI." Karasuba became agitated. "Threaten me again and I'll raze this inn to the ground."

Miya and Karasuba stared at each other with pure hate in their eyes and Minato was in the middle of it. He needed to do something, right now. Minato faced Karasuba and gulped. This was the worst idea he had ever had in his life.

'Fuck it,' he thought.

Before Karasuba could react properly, Minato wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed her deeply, shocking the rage out of her. The black wings burst from Karasuba's back and filled the room with anti-light. Karasuba recovered from the shock and kissed Minato back, just as deeply.

She took full control over the act, with the sole intent of making Kazehana jealous. Of course, she was going to make this painful for Minato. She dug her claws into his back, scratching down the full length and ripping his shirt.

Karasuba forced her tongue into Minato's mouth, making his own fair game. She lightly bit his tongue, causing Minato to jerk away from her in pain.

Karasuba gave a cruel chuckle. "What's wrong, Minato? You kissed me, remember?"

Minato backed away slightly, at this point he was scared for his life. But before Karasuba could catch her prey, a strong gust of wind came between them, breakfast miraculously undisturbed.

Standing between the two 'lovers' was Kazehana, a rare serious look on her face. Karasuba stood up and stared her down, he hand reaching for her sword.

"Step outside, Karasuba," Kazehana said.

"You must be joking. You can't beat me Kazehana. You aren't even winged."

Kazehana shook her head, a fire in her eyes. "Doesn't matter. I won't let you to hurt him.".

"Fine. It might be nostalgic." In a flash, Karasuba was gone.

Before she left, Kazehana grabbed Minato's hands and spoke. "Get out of here, Minato-kun, just for today."

And then she was gone. It still surprised Minato the speeds these Sekirei could move. Minato put his hands on his head. Maybe it would be a good idea to get away from the inn for a while. Just for the rest of the day.

* * *

It was cold. Probably due to the sheer amount of wind blowing through the air, thanks to Kazehana's surging power. It didn't faze Kazehana however; she just flicked away the hair in her eyes.

No. 3 clenched her fists. This was a bad idea. She probably wouldn't survive this, but it was worth it… right?

'Yeah, it's for Minato.'

The Black Sekirei was just as threatening as she'd always been. The nodachi was as sharp as her senses. The piercing gaze could cut through skin. The devilish smirk could make Takemi shiver.

Kazehana focused her power along her arms. There was no point in trying to hide it; Karasuba could detect even the tiniest fragments of stone or dry leaf tumbling in the corkscrewing winds. She could guess from where Kazehana would attack, maybe how, but not when.

The Wind Sekirei stared into the grey eyes of her enemy. Those weren't human eyes Karasuba had; she'd probably gouge them out if they were. No, when Karasuba looked into a mirror, she would see what Kazehana now saw, what Kazehana had seen every day since they'd met: pure, unyielding contempt, mixed with a deadly dose of bloodlust. Too bad it wasn't deadly to Karasuba herself.

But that didn't stop Kazehana. If she was gonna die, she was gonna die fighting. She dashed forward, feigning an attack from the left. As Karasuba moved to block, No. 3 kicked to the right, landing a blow on Karasuba's waist. Karasuba jumped back.

The Black Sekirei raised her sword in the air and swung hard with a downward slash. The Wind Sekirei dodged to the left and blasted Karasuba point-blank with a gust of wind. Even though she'd seen it coming, Karasuba was too close to dodge. Besides, who in their right mind would attack The Black Hound of MBI in close-quarters?

What are you playing at, thought Karasuba.

Driving her sword tip-deep into the concrete sidewalk, Karasuba vaulted back to her feet. Number Three almost threw herself upon it, with how fast she rushed to re-engage at close range. Instead, she twirled to the side and bent backwards, dodging a horizontal slash. A flurry of cuts and thrusts followed, driving Three back. Two quick bursts of wind were split by Karasuba's sword, so powerful were its slipstreams. A lunging thrust broke through a third attack, nearly spearing Kazehana through the shoulder if she hadn't bobbed away. So close, though, that there was no way she could miss.

And she didn't.

Karasuba was knocked clean off her feet, tumbling head over heels through the air as the howling updraft carried her above the unlit street lights. Her sense of orientation quickly righted itself, even while her body was tossed around like an old shoe, and a nearby three-story complex provided the anchor that Karasuba needed.

You won't be getting rid of me that easily, she thought, her fingers leaving cracks in the walls.

Below, The Wind Sekirei posed like a fencer: one arm outstretched, the other behind her back, both hands open. Karasuba, by contrast, was hanging off the side of a stone and concrete behemoth like some low-life urban orangutang. Arrogant poise aside, there was a small, prideful glimmer in Kazehana's eyes that Karasuba decided she could not let stand. Letting slip a frustrated growl, The Black Hound charged.

Not directly, though. Kazehana would put a stop to that. Instead, Karasuba took Miya's fence hostage, landing behind it and using it as a temporary shield while she closed the distance. She didn't exit through the front entrance, either, instead somersaulting over the top and landing deftly. Then she took the direct approach.

For Kazehana, there was a noticeable change in the air. Karasuba was more relaxed now, taking time between each half-committed slash to leer at Kazehana. These were telegraphed attacks, but so quick that they were barely avoided. It seemed the novelty, of someone actually standing up to the fearsome Black Sekirei, was losing its effect on her.

She was blown back by another gust but quickly regained her footing. No. 4 launched an attack at No. 3, swinging her sword with casual ease. Kazehana could barely dodge thisswing, her arm was caught by the blade, cutting deeper than Kazehana thought possible.

'There was so little strength in that, how was it so effective? Is the power difference so that huge?' Kazehana thought.

The Black Sekirei moved him, slashing her blade in different directions lazily. She only used one hand, probably to insult Kazehana. At the finale to the razor-sharp web, she raised her sword and pulled down hard. Kazehana was barely caught by the sword once again. The unwinged Sekirei jumped back, unleashing a torrent of wind in Karasuba's direction. No. 4 was caught by the wind, this was Kazehana's chance.

The Wind Sekirei flew forward, using her powers to gain some speed. She threw a punch that landed on Karasuba's face, then a powerful kick to her gut. She finished her combo with second punch, this time her fist coated in wind. She landed the blow on Karasuba, knocking her to the opposite end of the street. Kazehana gained some distance; who knows what Karasuba would do next.

"Not bad, Kazehana," No. 4 said. "Time to get serious."

Karasuba jumped to her feet, landing gracefully. She dashed forward, twirling her gargantuan nodachi in her hand. She jumped over Kazehana, twisting her body to avoid Number 3's defensive upward blast and landing behind her. A 180 degree twirl followed, cutting Kazehana's back.

No. 3 jerked forward, propelling herself with her wind. She could feel the warm crimson liquid soaking into her dress, and Karasuba...

That look…

Karasuba could smell it: fear, blood, it was riling her up, almost sexually. This was the monster Kazehana fought, and the one that would be the end of her. A gust snapped forth with a wave of her arm, Karasuba waiting until the last possible instant before stepping out of the way. Her sword was lowered; No. 4 slowly walked forward, staring down her latest kill. Kazehana slid one foot back and suddenly Karasuba was on her, the sword's tip stabbing into her thigh. Her momentum carried her back with help from her uninjured leg, but she quickly fell to the asphalt. Both women knew they neared a bloody finale.

No. 3 gathered her power, every ounce she had. She held out her palm and pushed. A cyclone of wind howled forward, destroying everything in its path. Cars and trees were thrown into the air, destroying nearby houses.

The Black Sekirei grinned, she simply walked through the Cyclone. It was nothing to her, but a breeze. She had all her power and her prey had none. Not a very delicious meal, but pretty one nonetheless. It was a shame, she was looking forward to her seconds.

Kazehana was freaking out, this power gap was insane. There was nothing she could do. Why? Why did she have to open her big mouth? Why did she have to challenge Karasuba?

"Kazehana!" The Wind Sekirei jerked her head to the side. There he was, running at her with a overly serious face. Kazehana smiled a little: with one leg, facing Karasuba while fresh out of gas, couldn't he see she had this? No. 3 glanced at Karasuba; her face had twisted into sheer rage.

Kazehana looked back to Minato. He was closing in. 'What the hell is he doing?!'

The young ronin sped up, he had to do this. This was the only way she would survive! Right as Karasuba was about to deliver a hasty coup de grace, her Ashikabi annoyingly got in the way, forcing her hand. Minato now stood right in front of Kazehana, back to her as she lay on the ground, a growing pool of red forming on the black asphalt beneath her thigh.

"Kara-... Karasuba…" He nearly choked. "Kazehana…"

Screwing his eyes shut, he blurted, "I'm so sorry about this!"

In a flash he'd spun around and dropped to his knees before Kazehana, getting her blood on his pants. Eyes still clenched, he wrapped his arms around her waist and crashed his lips into hers. Kazehana's surprise didn't last very long; she swiftly took control of the kiss and began to roll her tongue around Minato's.

Her wings burst from her back, she pulled away and spoke; "Wind of my pledge, blow away the dark clouds that befall my Ashikabi!"

Kazehana pulled away from Minato, winking at him in the process. She turned her head to Karasuba, a confidant smile on her perfectly sculpted face. Her wounds had closed and her energy had been restored. She began to walk forward, Karasuba doing the same.

"Looks like we're sisters now, Karasuba," Kazehana said, quite sarcastically chipper.

Karasuba smirked. "It appears so, with my little pet running off to other women. We'll have to punish him later, Kazehana."

"I can't let you do that, Karasuba," Kazehana said, her face turning deadly serious.

Karasuba's feral grin returned to her face, "Maybe you'll be able to give me a challenge!"

Karasuba dashed forward, swinging her sword wildly. Kazehana dodged and weaved around every strike Karasuba swung at her. The Wind Sekirei propelled herself off the ground, flipping over Karasuba. When she landed, her leg swung up and kicked Karasuba in the back of the head. Karasuba went flying to the side, landing on a wrecked car.

"Oh. Yeah," Karasuba huffed, flush with excitement.

The Black Sekirei dashed forward, the force of her of her dash broke the curb. She dropped her sword, chosing to rely on her fists. Not as easy to see coming. No. 4 threw a right hook, blocked by No. 3.

Kazehana countered by throwing a hard kick, coated in wind. Karasuba leaned back, dodging the kick. She placed her hand on the ground, maneuvering herself backward and kicking Kazehana in the chin. She landed back on her feet.

Kazehana rubbed her her chin. Nice move. No.3 moved in; she wasn't as strong as Karasuba but she was faster. Kazehana coated her arms in wind.

"Let's go, Karasuba!"

The two Sekirei clashed, throwing blow after blow. The immense shockwaves from each fist and kick thrown, the ground began to break apart from the sheer force. This was still only a skirmish, neither were truly serious. Across the street, Minato was in awe of his two Sekirei. He could actually feel the force of their blows, their rising power and their heightening emotions. It was a frightening to him, he could feel what they were feeling. Their fear, their confidence, their anger, their love (or lack thereof in Karasuba's case) and their hate. Is this the bond between an Ashikabi and a Sekirei?

Why? Why did they need Minato? What was his purpose? A quick kiss and a power boost? Is that it? No, no that's not it. These feelings he can feel, they're real. Minato had been down-trodden for most of his life but these feelings that his Sekirei were exuding… Karasuba's dark lust, Kazehana's pure love. It meant the world to Minato.

Back at the brawl, Kazehana and Karasuba were both exhausted, "Are you done yet, Kazehana!"

"Pft, you wish!" Kazehana replied.

"This is getting boring, how about we end this?"

"Fine then!" Kazehana flared her power, coating her entire body in the wind.

Karasuba done the same, her power grew to new heights. She felt strong, it excited her greatly. The two Sekirei dashed at each other, culminating in a great clash that caused large explosion of energy to engulf much of the surrounding area.

Minato couldn't stand to watch anymore, he ran to ground zero of the explosion. The smoke began to clear and what Minato saw made him smile. Karasuba and Kazehana, arms around each others' backs and laughing at what just transpired.

"Really brings back memories, right?" Kazehana said.

"Yeah, haven't had that much fun in years!" Karasuba said, her grip tightening as

She then leaned forward and murmured something into Kazehana's ear. Minato didn't know what, but it prompted Kazehana to half-smirk, huff, and respond with, "It's share and share alike, then."

Karasuba gave her an evil smirk before turning her attention to her not-so-faithful Ashikabi. She grabbed Minato by the shirt, bringing him close to her face.

"Seeing you kiss another woman made me jealous, Minato," she said with sadistic frivolity. "What are you going to do about it?".

"I-I, uh-" Minato stuttered; the colour drained from his face. He swallowed the lump in his throat and as he opened his mouth, he was treated to a nice surprise.

Karasuba locked lips with her "beloved" Ashikabi. Minato had been kissed more times today than he had in his entire life. Secretly, he absolutely loved it. The attention, sexual or otherwise, was more than he'd received from anyone outside of his immediate family. Karasuba let him go, no biting or blood. Surprising.

"C'mon, Minato." Karasuba hurled Minato over her shoulder.

The Black Sekirei and The Wind Sekirei made their way back to Izumo Inn, with their gorgeous Ashikabi in hand.


	3. Showdown

Minato had been on many rides in his life. Roller coasters, droppers and ferris wheels of course, but none were quite as terrifying as hanging over Karasuba's shoulder. The way she held him made him sure she was attempting to crack his pelvis. Of course, he did have a rather tall glimmer of hope following behind him.

She smiled at him, giving off the warmth of her adoration. Kazehana touched his face. A blush crept across her cheeks showing how easily her body reacted to him. She gave him a quick wink before speeding up, walking shoulder to shoulder with her old squadmate.

"You know Miya might murder us once we're inside, right?" No. 3 said.

"What for?" Karasuba replied with slight venom. "We didn't break any of her idiotic rules."

"True," Kazehana rubbed the back of her head, "but we did trash the street a little bit,"

She wasn't wrong. Looking around the street, there were cars toppled and trees knocked over from the sheer amount of wind that exuded from Kazehana. Even the force of Karasuba swinging her sword had smashed parts of the road and broken a few windows. Minato was inwardly shaking, seeing full-scale the destruction these lovely ladies had caused. Worse, his gut told him they'd both been holding back. He thanked whatever God that existed that at least one of his Sekirei would be gentle with him, that she'd rather hold and kiss than crush and bite him.

The Monster stood at the front door of its domain, a hannya mask lingering behind its beastly expression. It scanned the surrounding streets, its expression growing ever more angered the more destruction it saw. The wooden sword was in its hand, a clear crack was created in the weapon at the sheer strength of the grip. Miya stared down at her ultimate rival: Karasuba, who merely grinned at the firstborn Sekirei. Miya moved faster than both Karasuba and Kazehana could perceive and before they knew it, Minato was over Miya's shoulder.

"You two are not allowed back in this Inn until dinner. I suggest getting off this property before I lose my temper." Miya almost snarled at the two Sekirei.

"Miya… Are you trying to seperate me and my pet?" Karasuba's hand wrapped around the hilt of her Nodachi tightly.

"But I just got my hands on him!" Kazehana moaned. "You can't do this Miya; it's too cruel."

Miya snorted and turned her head away from them both. "You both must learn not to fight, now that Minato-san is your Ashikabi. Now go and spend the day together, learn to like each other."

"Why bother?" Karasuba replied nonchalantly.

Miya slammed the door in their faces, particularly Karasuba's. She put Minato feet-first on the ground. Sighing, she cupped his chin and looked him dead in the eye. A terror built in Minato that he had only experienced from his Mother, but this was worse. He was literally shaking.

"Keep Karasuba on a tight leash," commanded the landlady. "Anymore of that type of behaviour and you're on the street." Miya let him go.

"Well what am I supposed to do?!" protested the Ashikabi. "If I try anything, she'll kill me!"

Miya smirked, she spoke just one word.

 _"Challenge."_

She then turned on her heel, leaving poor Minato alone.

Minato let out a sigh. He followed after Miya, whom was walking to the kitchen. The ronin left through the back door and sat down on the step. He pondered Miya's words… Er, word. Could challenging Karasuba work? Or would it only lead to more pain? Minato smiled himself, of course it would work. It was bound to work, now that he had Kazehana. She was always gonna be there for him, just like any Sekirei would be for their Ashikabi… he hoped. Minato leaned back and looked at the sky, hoping this didn't backfire on him.

"Scoot over would ya?"

Minato moved over to make space for the voice. Uzume sat down next to him. He noticed that she was eyeing him like a piece of candy, with a dusting of pink on her cheeks. "Stuff like this happens when you get Single Numbers," she said with a smirk.

"You say that as if you know." Minato replied.

"Well I've been told, by Miya, that the single numbers are pretty eccentric."

"Just the single numbers, huh?" Minato said with a wry yet weary smile.

Her beaming expression was infectious. "I wouldn't say that I'm eccentric! Just a happy Sekirei!"

"Well, you're not wrong," Minato sighed, his jovial expression fading. "This whole situation is gonna kill me: if not Karasuba killing me, then Kazehana's going to get me killed.'

"That won't happen." Minato's brow raised at that, prompting Uzume to continue. "I've known Kazehana for a little while now. She's wanted an Ashikabi for such a long time."

Uzume smiled at the young ronin. "She never really… y'know, said it, even to herself. But she's gonna adore you."

"Even though I winged her forcefully?"

Uzume laughed. "You really calling it that? She was reacting pretty heavily to you."

Minato shrugged. "I don't know, I just feel sorta shitty about it."

Uzume scoffed at the very thought. "Don't. You saved her life, idiot! She's gonna love you for years to come! And guess what?"

"What?"

Uzume grinned. "She'll only be able to fall in love with you even more.

 _-Kazehana-_

There was hardly a time that Kazehana could remember being genuinely stuck somewhere with Karasuba. In fact, the last time she remembered being with Karasuba before she showed up at the inn was when she, Mutsu and herself went to a bar together. Now the two were stuck together by order of their ex-commander, walking down a random street, literally having no idea where to go or what to do. That was, until Karasuba suggested going to a coffee shop. No. 3 would've preferred a bar but it was only the morning, so she supposed coffee was acceptable.

The two strolled through the streets of… ugh, Shinto Teito. Kazehana absolutely detested that name. What gave MBI any right to change the name of a city like Tokyo? She hated them more and more everyday. She could tell that even Karasuba, who was MBI's mad dog for years, had begun to nurse a peeve by the way she looked at that eyesore in the middle the city and those billboards with that bastard Minaka's face plastered all over them.

The people were just as bad. Sheep. Nothing but sheep. They followed everything that MBI told them to do. Every company was owned by MBI so their jobs depended on Minaka's competence (if Kazehana was being honest it more relied on Takami's competence). She couldn't blame the people though: it was human instinct to follow the crowd.

Kazehana stopped next to Karasuba, who gestured to the nice coffee shop. They entered the shop, which luckily lacked much of a line so they were served relatively quickly. Karasuba gave the barista a contemptuous smirk after being handed their coffees. She clearly had the barista's under her thumb.

The two sat in a booth together, staring into each other's faces. Karasuba's was sharp, just like her sword. The way her jaw curved into her chin made it look as though she could kill a man with her face. Her narrow grey eyes looked deep into Kazehana's own charcoal-colored ones.

"This is where I met Minato, right over there." Karasuba pointed over to a table in the corner.

"That the happiest memory for you?" Kazehana said sarcastically.

"You'd be surprised. I always wanted a pet," she replied with a grin. The grin slowly faded back to a face twinged with malice. "But I never wanted to share."

"Well, at least you have to share with someone you know," Kazehana remarked, not being fazed by The Black Sekirei's glare.

"Very true, however I can think of one or two I would much rather share with than you," No.4 said, head in her hand.

"Is that right?" The Wind Sekirei took a sip of her coffee. "Would they happen to be the same one or two that could kick your flat butt?"

"Careful." The stone-faced Karasuba had turned into a snarling creature. Kazehana stared directly into her face, a coy smile on her own. Karasuba stared back, her look of anger slowly fading away to her trademark 'smile'. The tension between the two could be cut with a knife. Everyone in the shop could feel it, and stared at the goddesses sitting in the booth.

However there was one person who wasn't phased in the slightest. "Well well well, isn't this a coincidence."

The single numbers looked to source of the voice and were immediately unnerved; even Karasuba shuddered slightly. The woman standing above them was slender, not quite as slender as Karasuba however. Her hair was grey from over twenty years of putting up with Minaka's shit. She wore beige trousers, a black top which was covered by a white lab coat. She sat down next to Karasuba, giving her a playful jab on the shoulder.

"Looks like you two are getting along well," she said.

"Been a long time Takami-san. How've you been?" Kazehana asked, smiling at her handler.

"It's been hell! Minaka's still a prick, my son failed his college entrance exam twice and my daughter's been trying to come here to visit said useless son!" she ranted.

Karasuba feigned concern. "Oh yes, your life sounds awful."

"Well I guess it's not quite as bad as a death game," the MBI staffer admitted. "I wish that bastard Minaka would give up on this idiotic vision."

"There's no convincing Minaka once his mind's made up. I should know," said Kazehana, surprising Takami.

"Oh? I guess you're over him, huh?" She grinned. "Who's the lucky fella?"

Karasuba laughed. "Yeah Kazehana, who is the lucky fella?"

"I don't know Karasuba, it seems I'll be getting your sloppy seconds." She smirked.

"Wait, you two are sharing an Ashikabi? That poor soul," Takami joked.

Karasuba smirked. "You're right, Takami. There'll be a funeral for poor Minato in weeks."

…

…

…

"WHAT?!" Takami nearly upended the table, she rose so fast.

"Calm down, Takami-san, it's not that bad." Kazehana reasoned.

"'Not that bad'?!" Takami roared. "He can barely get into University and she drags him into this?!"

"If you remember Takami, it's me," Karasuba said irritably.

"That's exactly what I'm worried about! Of all the Sekirei, it had to be you!"

Karasuba's eye twitched. "What are you trying to say, Takami?"

Takami stared directly into Karasuba's eyes, her anger only growing with each second.

"Point taken," Karasuba grumbled.

Takami sighed and sat back down. The scientist eyed No. 3 with narrowed eyes, analysing her face and emotions.

"At least he has you to balance it out."

Kazehana nodded happily. Takami could see in those black eyes that there was a newfound elation in them, like she had found everything she had ever wanted in her life. Well, I'm glad she's happy. It's my fault she was hurt anyway.

Takami visibly tensed at what Karasuba said next.

"I guess you like to keep it in the family, eh Kazehana?"

The Wind Sekirei tilted her head. "Wait, what do you mean?"

Karasuba glanced at Takami, then returned to her partner.

"Don't you know? Minato is Minaka's son," Karasuba said, much to Takami's irritation.

"Oh. That makes sense, they have similar hand structure."

Takami raised an eyebrow. "Should I be impressed, or scared for my son's privacy?"

Kazehana held in a laugh. "I'm not gonna go Yandere on him, that's not me." The thought of what was her, though, made a small giggle slip out.

"And I'm not gonna hurt him…" Karasuba gave her monsterous grin. "Permanently."

Before she could react, Karasuba had a particularly sharp object on Takami's throat

"If you dare hurt my son," Takami growled, "there won't be a being in this world that could save you from me."

 _-Miya-_

Miya was always grateful for help around the Inn, even more so that Minato had taken the helm for most of the housework as an apology for his Sekirei's behavior (both of them). She had even considered paying him for his work. That was before he caused yet another ruckus. She heard the fiery tones of one of her tenants, shouting all kinds of obscenities at the poor boy for merely going through his… her drawers to fold up her clothes. The poor boy was in total shock of the situation, not expecting to screamed at by a woman as unused to her own body as she was. Miya had offered her help of course, but she was a stubborn Sekirei. It was an amusing site to watch as poor Minato was thrown from her room and straight into a wall. Watching him rub his head and curse under his breath was amusing in its own 'Karasuba-like' way. Dinner was going to be fun tonight, she thought.

Miya sighed. It looks like her days of peace were over. Perhaps she would get a good fight out of Karasuba and Kazehana when they inevitably broke the rule of 'no illicit relations.' She eyed the end of the hallway, knowing for a fact that Matsu was either sleeping or watching Minato like a hawk. She prayed for the former to be true; she didn't want Minato to have to deal with three sex-starved Sekirei.

Despite that, and herself, Miya couldn't help but chuckle. 'Matsu would probably get along with Karasuba in the bedroom.'

Miya entered the room of the Sekirei who threw Minato out. She remained spooked for a bit before she calmed down. She rubbed her eyes and sat down on her futon, gesturing for Miya to sit in the armchair on the other side of the room. There was a clear blush draped across her face, Miya was inwardly squealing at how adorable she looked.

"This is a new look for you, Kagari-san." Miya said.

"Please don't, Miya-san. I'm still not used to this. I'm gonna be late on the rent by the way; had to buy a bunch of new clothes."

Miya smiled warmly. "I understand, Kagari-san. I'll just blame your new Ashikabi."

Kagari laughed. "It's not her fault Miya, I'll pay double next month I promise."

Miya shook her head and smiled. "Don't you worry yourself. You've had to buy new clothes, get a new job and now juggle a girlfriend. I'll let you off this one time only, for being such a loyal patron."

Kagari beamed. "For someone so scary, you're too kind sometimes. Thanks Miya." Miya nodded and left Kagari in peace.

No.1 was surprised by Kagari's winging. She assumed that No. 6 would either be the last of the Sekirei winged or would never be winged at all, simply to spite Minaka (now that would've been entertaining). Miya now only housed two unwinged Sekirei, who she assumed would be winged soon, possibly by Minato. She glanced at a plant pot and waved, terrifying person behind the camera.

' _Well, there's still lots of work to do.'_

Miya made her way to the kitchen, only to be pleasantly surprised to find Minato doing the washing up. She smiled at the boy, whose head was being rubbed by Uzume due to the sizeable lump on it. She chuckled at the long-haired brunette. It seemed there might be another feather in Minato's cap soon.

 _-Karasuba-_

The noise and bustle of the city bothered her, which marked the only good thing about Miya's precious little inn. She at least had decent company now that Takami was gone. That harpy was lucky she wasn't six feet under due to that stunt with the pen. Although that would hurt Minato, and the thought of that irked Karasuba for some unexplainable reason. And besides, she'd probably end in up in a much larger spat with Kazehana. As much as the thought excited her, it would just serve to fuel Miya's annoyance which would lead to her, Kazehana and Minato being homeless.

She looked up to the eyesore that was clearly a testament to Minaka's inadequacies. There were figures standing on the edge of the roof. Though she couldn't see them particularly well, she clearly made out claws on one of the figures: Haihane. Which meant the other figures must have been Benitsubasa and… her. Plus with their Ashikabi, Natsuo.

"You see them too?" Kazehana asked with mild concern. "Think they'll be out to get you?"

"They'll be hit with casualties, so no. The only person in the squad who could put a scratch on me is her," Karasuba snarled.

Kazehana frowned, The Wind Sekirei's eyes focusing in on 'her'. "You don't like Yu-"

"No. No I don't.

"Okay, okay! Well, you've got me for back-up if we're attacked." She smiled. Karasuba looked at her and narrowed her eyes, then smirked and shook her head.

"Stop trying to be nice, Kazehana. I'm as likely to kill you as I am to fuck you."

Kazehana chortled. "Pft, you'd fuck me in a second."

Karasuba eyed her counterpart's chest and grinned.

"I'm finding it hard to resist such a delightful snack." It licked its lips.

Kazehana bit her lip. "I always had a thing for tall girls. And swords."

Karasuba jerked her eyebrows.

"I like you more and more, Kazehana." She jabbed her on the shoulder. "So what do you wanna do? I'm really bored."

Karasuba shrugged. "Wanna go fight some other Sekirei?"

Kazehana shook her head. "You're incorrigible, you know that?"

The Black Sekirei laughed before taking off into the air. Kazehana used her power to push herself off the ground, gaining far more height than No. 4.

"Come on, slowpoke!" jeered The Wind Sekirei.

Karasuba, who was standing atop a building, pushed off the ground and followed behind swiftly, riding Kazehana's wind. She had her sword unsheathed and ready; the bloodlust could be seen from the sidewalk.

The two Sekirei scouted the bustling city of Shinto Teito, eventually touching down atop a four-story building. Kazehana kneeled at the edge and closed her eyes. She could feel the energy emanating from Sekirei all around the city, too many unwinged for her liking.

Kazehana felt an aura from across the city, it was almost as strong as she was, "You feel that? It's strong, and familiar."

Karasuba focused her own senses harder, and her eyes shot wide.

"Mutsu! And he's winged!" The Black Sekirei grinned maliciously. The Wind Sekirei could see her 'friend' trembling in delight.

Karasuba pushed off the building and flew to the next, then the next, then the next, leaving large craters and holes in each one. She knew that Kazehana followed closely behind, but she didn't care. All she wanted was to brutalize her old squadmate.

 _'There! Here I come, Mutsu~!'_ Karasuba grinned as she eyed her prey, who was walking in a park with a young boy and a woman.

Karasuba landed on the stone pathway, creating a huge crater and kicking up a smoke cloud. She emerged at a blinding speed and swung an overhead slash at Mutsu. He reacted quick enough, blocking the brutal blow with his scabbard. His eyes widened at the madly grinning face in front of him. Of all people, it was her. He pushed her back, moving back himself and gaining some distance. He took a serious stance with his sword, unsheathing it while pushing his Ashikabi behind him.

"Mikogami, get out of here now! She's dangerous!" Mutsu shouted.

"But what about you, Mutsu?" Mikogami trembled.

"I'll be fine! Now go!" Mikogami ran as fast as his legs could take him.

No. 4 dashed forward and clashed swords, locking up before pulling back. No. 5. Mutsu swung his blade to the left. Karasuba parried the blow and kicked Mutsu in the side. No. 5 recovered quickly and stood his ground, staring Karasuba down and was shocked when her partner landed beside her.

"Kazehana?" The Wind Sekirei waved cordially.

"Hi Mutsu, long time n-" She was cut off by Karasuba, who held her sword out in front of her.

"This is my kill. Stay out of it." She pushed herself forward, landing fierce blows against Mutsu's sword. No. 5 ducked and punched Karasuba in the gut, knocking her back. He put his sword to the ground.

"Haisaten!" The ground around him quaked, shattering the soil and rock. Karasuba jumped from slab to square-cut slab and brought her sword down on Mutsu, who wasn't quick enough to block. A large cut was opened down his chest. He jumped back, dodging the stray debris strewn across the ground.

The Black Sekirei closed in on Mutsu but was halted by a wall of ice. She barely dodged the large icicle that dropped from the sky. Atop it was a buxom woman with short, light brown hair and a blank expression on her face. She wore a white kimono with long sleeves, parted in the middle where it was lined with a black embroidery and showed off most of her chest. There was a chain wrapped around her neck and attached to her shirt which kept it all together. A black sash outlined her midriff. One thing that caught Karasuba and Kazehana off-guard was that her Sekirei mark was in the middle of her forehead.

"She's probably a Discarded Number, maybe something went wrong in the lab," Kazehana spoke. "Let me handle her. Go beat Mutsu." Her partner The Black Sekirei was gone in a flash.

The large icicle smashed, allowing the Discarded Number to land on her feet. She held out her hand and formed many icicles. One thrust of her fingers and they launched toward Kazehana. She managed to dodge most of them but was nicked in the arm. The Wind Sekirei cricked her neck.

"Kaze no Tachi," she muttered.

A sword of wind formed around her arm, she flung her arm forward causing the sword to fly toward the Discarded Number at gale force. Kazehana's opponent couldn't dodge in time and was caught by the blade, opening a large cut in her waist. The Discarded Number lifted her hand and created a wall of spikes behind Kazehana, then created a hail of ice behind herself. The Wind Sekirei created a ball of wind and expanded it around her; as the Discarded Number approached, her ice was blown away by No. 3's wind. She did not falter and delivered a harsh blow to Kazehana's stomach, pushing her back the into the wall of spikes.

 _'Shit, shit, shit!'_ she cursed inwardly.

Before she could hit the ice spikes, the wall cracked open and fell to pieces. In the distance she had heard, "Haisaten!" which caused the ground, and subsequently the ice, around her to be destroyed. She looked up and saw Mutsu flying across the sky with Karasuba hot on his trail.

The Black Sekirei flipped around and clashed her sword against The Earth Sekirei's with an overhead swing. Mutsu pushed her back and dashed forward, swinging his sword upward. Karasuba parried the blow and delivered a slash of her own to Mutsu's midsection, he jerked her torso back and headbutted Karasuba.

"Never thought you'd settle for any Ashikabi," Mutsu said.

"Yeah, well, I managed to sweep this one guy off his feet," she said in a bloodthirsty tone. "Now he's my pet."

"And you let Kazehana in on that?".

"Sure; good sparring partner." She grinned.

Mutsu graced her with one of his rare smiles. "Never change, Karasuba." The Earth Sekirei tilted his blade toward her.

The Black Sekirei dashed forward, she swung her blade diagonally. Mutsu parried and countered with a downward slash of his own; Karasuba dodged it. She pushed herself lightly off the ground, flipping over Mutsu and attempting to slash at his shoulder. Mutsu blocked the blow and thrusted the hilt of his sword back, connecting with No. 4 as she landed. Karasuba tripped forward, feeling the strength of the impact ripple through her body. Her senses flared as Mutsu went in for a finishing blow. She back flipped over him and jabbed her sword forward, lightly wounding him in the back.

The Earth Sekirei dashed forward, letting out a harsh yell as the sword exited his body. He could hear Karasuba's harsh footsteps crunch the ground beneath them as she approached, he turned quick and blocked her sword. The two pushed against each other, feeling the ground crack.

"As strong as ever Karasuba," The Earth Sekirei grunted.

"Same to you!" she said through clenched teeth.

The two were startled as they were lifted into the air. Karasuba turned her head to see Kazehana levitating, a cyclone forming around her filled with random debris, rocks and trees sucked into the cacophonous vortex. A huge pillar of ice raised into the air; atop it stood the Discarded Number who was surrounded by a floating ring of hail. Kazehana thrusted out her hands, sending the cyclone howling forth. The Discarded Number mirrored the act, sending her own hail of ice toward The Wind Sekirei. The explosion of power destroyed a large portion of the park. Riding the shockwave, the two Sekirei landed on what little remained of the grass. Right away, The Discarded Number dashed toward No. 3 and threw a punch. Kazehana swayed aside and let it pass by, the deeper parts of her mind wondering why her foe conjured the ice mace around her fist… after swinging. It was when Akitsu leaned into it, and whirled around, that Kazehana saw the second mace around her other hand. Eyes widening, Kazehana dodged and delivered a hard kick to her gut, sending her flying back.

"Ice..." The Discarded Number whispered.

The 'ground' around them froze at her touch, pillars of ice surrounded them and sealed the two Sekirei off in an enclosed arena.

"You're good, not many Sekirei could stand up to me. What's your name?"

The Discarded Number's expression didn't change. "I'm No. 7, Akitsu."

No. 3 smiled at her.

"And I'm No. 3, Kazehana." The wind began to pick up. "I'm sorry we've had to meet like this; I know a boy who'd treat you like a queen."

Akitsu shook her head. "I want my Ashikabi to be Mikogami. I'm happy with him."

"That's good. But if he ever treats you bad, then you come to me, okay?" Kazehana said with a motherly tone.

"Unlikely. I can't leave him, he's the only master I have." Akitsu raised her hand but before she could do anything, a figure burst through the wall of ice and landed next to her. Mutsu stood upright, holding his sword out to a second figure, who landed next to Kazehana.

Karasuba held her sword over her shoulder. "Wow, this has been great!" No. 4 exclaimed with a sadistic glee to her tone.

"Yeah… have to admit… not had a workout like this… in a while." Mutsu was hunched over, huffing and puffing like a steam train.

"You two seem to be having fun," Kazehana remarked.

"Says the one who caused most of the destruction." Akitsu said.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know I was the one who tore the ground apart," No. 3 retorted, giving Mutsu the hairy eyeball

The group was interrupted by a rather whiney voice. "Mutsu! Akitsu! Are you okay?!" Mikogami ran past Kazehana and Karasuba to get to Mutsu and Akitsu.

"Mikogami! I told you to get out of here!" Mutsu whacked him on the head.

"Ow! Let's use your Norito, Mutsu, then we'll win!"

The Earth Sekirei shook his head. "No, we can't win. And I don't think we're gonna be killed yet, right Karasuba?"

The Black Sekirei gave her animalistic grin. "As if I'm gonna put you out this early."

Mikogami breathed a sigh of relief. "Then I believe it's time we part ways." No. 5 grabbed Mikogami and jumped into the air, with Akitsu following closely behind.

"Bye Mutsu! Good seeing you again!" Kazehana shouted to her old friend.

"Well that ended anti-climatically," sighed Karasuba, sheathing her sword.

Kazehana nodded in agreement. "What do you wanna do now?" Her slightly-less-bitter rival merely shrugged in response.

 _-Minato-_

"Oh shut up it's not that bad!"

Minato kept rubbing his head. "You weren't the one thrown against a wall!"

Uzume rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a pussy! You've had your spine crushed and you've been bitten multiple times by that psycho, pains probably a lot worse than a bump on the head."

Minato muttered a lazy retort under his breath.

It was true, however. All the..."gestures" his beloved Karasuba put him through were more painful than some minor ragdolling. If he was being honest, he kinda missed Karasuba. It was strange not having her around to crush and bite him, then having Kazehana to kiss his wounds… he hoped.

Minato felt a vibration in his pocket, pulled his phone out and smiled: it was Yukari. He put his phone to his ear. "Hey there, Sis! How's it going?"

"Better than you, ronin!" Yukari sniggered. "But I've been doing great, school's been good and I made a new friend!"

"That's good. I got a new place and made some new friends myself."

Yukari scoffed. "You got a new place? With all that money you don't have?"

"I got my deposit back." Minato could actually hear Yukari's eyebrows raising.

"How?"

"My Landlord just... gave it back," Minato said sheepishly.

"Wow. I didn't know he was that nice of a guy."

"Yeah it came as a shock to me too. Wonder what made him change his tune."

It felt like the world around him faded away as he chatted with his sister. It hadn't been that long since he'd seen her but Minato had missed the sound of Yukari's voice. Even if she was quite overbearing, he loved her. She was family. And he adored his family. He was brought back into reality by the sound of a whiney voice.

"Minato~! Stop ignoring meeeee!" He yelped as a pair of arms wrapped around his neck, along with a pair deliciously huge, fleshy mounds that pressed on his back.

"C'mon Minato, hang up on her!" Uzume whined. "Aren't I the most important girl in your life?"

"Huh? Who the hell is that, bro?" Yukari's tone was as sharp as a knife.

"Um, that was no one, sis!" he said nervously, before whispering, "Get out of here, Uzume-san!"

"Noooo! I want you to do that thing with your tongue again!" Minato froze up, he could actually feel the steam rising off Yukari's head.

"What did she say?!" Yukari roared.

"N-nothing, sis!" Minato tried to break free from Uzume's grasp, a hilarious sight to the watcher upstairs.

"Come on Minato! Take your pants off!" Never in his life had Minato wanted to die more than this moment.

"I guess I should leave you two alone, huh? Bye bro, have fun," Yukari spat. She hung up, leaving Minato with the dead silence of the ringer.

"What the hell, Uzume-san?!"

No. 10 was clenching her gut laughing. "Y-your face!" She fell to the ground, still crying with laughter.

Rolling his eyes so hard he nearly blinded himself, Minato got up from the step and went back inside. Never had he thought a hot girl's laughter could be so annoying. Rubbing his head, it felt like that laughter was making the lump grow. What really worried him was Karasuba's reaction. In Minato's mind it went something like:

 _You would dare hurt my pet?! Time to die~!_

As much as Minato adored the thought of a girl being that protective of him, it was about as likely as Minaka Hiroto being his father. After a quick stroll through the Inn he found himself in his, or more realistically Karasuba's, room. He took a seat in the armchair and rested his eyes.

 _-Knock Knock Knock-_

Minato jerked upright. "Come in!"

The door slowly creaked open, revealing a tall silver haired women. She wore plain, white, button up shirt and black skinny jeans. Minato noticed that her shirt didn't fit as her breasts made the buttons look like they were about to fly off, despite her breasts not being as large as Uzume's or Kazehana's. She had a stoic face and seemed to eye him up and down.

"Hi, sorry about earlier." She rubbed the back of her head

"Oh no worries! I shouldn't have went through your clothes without your consent anyway." Minato laughed nervously.

"No, you were just trying to be nice. I overreacted."

Minato smiled, got up from his chair and sat on the futon. He gestured for the woman to sit on the chair. The woman crossed her legs as she sat down.

Minato spoke. "I never caught your name."

"Kagari. And you're Sahashi, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, Minato Sahashi."

Kagari looked a little surprised. Of course it was Takami's son. She rolled her eyes: nothing was ever easy for her, was it? Not only did she have to deal with this gender change, but now she'd met every member of Takami's damn family. She leaned back in the chair and sighed.

"So I heard that you've got a monster shadowing you," Kagari smirked.

Minato shivered. "That's an understatement. I'm surprised any of my bones are still intact."

Kagari chuckled. "I've also heard that she's got some competition in the form of an overbearing lover."

"Well at least I have her. I think she'll keep my spine safe. Heh, my Knight in shining Qipao."

"Could be worse; you could be alone with no one."

Minato singgered. "True. At least I have someone to hug at night… even if my bone structure gets weaker every time."

Kagari stared at the boy. She couldn't read him. He wasn't like Minaka, she could read that lunatic like a book. Nor was he like Yukari, again who was quite readable. Minato seemed to be his own person. He was calm and collected. Nothing like the eccentric Minaka, nor did he inherit the hotheadedness of Takami and Yukari. It somewhat frightened Kagari, as he sat there on the futon with that aloof smile. It felt like he was trying to probe her mind for all of its secrets.

"You're a Sekirei too, aren't you?"

Kagari was a little taken aback. "Y-yes. How did you know?"

Minato kept his smile. "Besides the fact that every patron of this Inn is a Sekirei? Uzume spilled the beans this morning."

"I see. Well you don't have to worry about me, I have my Ashikabi." Kagari noticed a shift in Minato's demeanor, almost an edge. "Well that's good. I don't need another women breathing down my neck," Minato joked.

"Don't worry, you're safe from me." Kagari felt a vibration in her pocket, she pulled out her phone. A light blush crept over her face.

"You're Ashikabi?" Minato asked.

"Y-yeah, I have to go Sahashi-san. Can't say no to my Ashikabi." She was gone in a flash.

' _Kagari,' thought Minato. What did Karasuba call her? Homura? She seems okay, but who knows what's brewing in that head of hers. I assume she's a single number if Karasuba and Kazehana know her. Never know, she could be a threat…_

 _-Kazehana-_

She had never hated Miya more in her life than this very moment. She finally had Minato within her grasp, just to touch him made her feel all gooey inside. But because of Miya, she had destroyed a park and been in a hectic fight. She should cuddling Minato but instead she was cold, her clothes were ripped and she was bleeding. Being honest with herself, she blamed Karasuba as well.

 _'I guess I can't blame her too much; might never have met him without her,'_ Kazehana mused.

She eyed Karasuba, who was walking a few steps in front of her. Even from behind she was absolutely gorgeous, yet so different from other Sekirei. Most Sekirei were busty, thick, and had bodies that looked custom-built for sex and romance. But not her, not The Black Sekirei. She was built for combat. For violence and killing. It didn't surprise Kazehana that she was so vicious with Minato. While The Wind Sekirei marveled at how beautiful her new partner was, her mind drifted to her handsome, imperfect, incredible Ashikabi. She knew he wasn't everything she wanted, she was pretty sure even he knew that.

 _I mean, he's skinny a weakling. I guess that saving grace is that he has balls of steel and he's a cute little smartie pants. Give him some abs and…'_ She shivered at thought, her breath humid from the heat in her chest. Cooling off, she looked toward Karasuba again. _'I wonder what she thinks of him. She must like him in some respect, probably loves how easily she can dominate him.'_

She was broken from her thoughts abruptly by Karasuba's sharp voice.

"We should be heading back soon; it's getting late."

No. 3 grinned. "Oh? D'you miss Minato that much?"

"I miss training with Miya more; think you're pushing your own thoughts onto me," The Black Sekirei smirked.

"Maybe, maybe not. But I got one question for you."

Karasuba raised an eyebrow.

"Race?"

The Black Sekirei grinned, "Fuck yeah!" She was gone, flying through the air at speeds that Kazehana could scarcely see.

'I am not losing!' Kazehana propelled herself off the ground, blowing wind behind her and rocketing forward.

No. 4's eyes widened when she saw Kazehana fly past her. She wasn't sure whether or not her old squadmate either waved or gave her the finger. No more second-gear; time to go all-out. Unfortunately for Karasuba, while the two were evenly matched in lower body strength, Karasuba's powers didn't lend themselves as well to transportation.

Now far, far ahead, Kazehana could see the Inn. She was so close to her Ashikabi, so close to holding him in her arms. She could feel him even from this far away, all she wanted to do was hug him and hold him. And fuck him. But that last one would come later.

The Wind Sekirei touched down outside Izumo Inn and burst through the door, startling the woman behind it.

The Landlady stared at Kazehana before smiling. "He's in his room."

Kazehana sprinted through the inn. The only thing on her mind? Beating Karasuba. She sprinted as fast as her powerful legs could take her, ascending the stairs in two loud leaps. No. 3 nearly pulled Minato's door out of its track wrenching it open, making the poor boy jump out of his skin.

The sight of The Wind Sekirei was a strange one for Minato. She had a deeply red face coupled with heavy breathing. She licked her lips in a very Karasuba-like way. She pounced on him, pulling him into a crushing hug. That sensual valley between her breasts found his face.

"I missed you so much, Minato! Oh you have no idea!"

Minato pushed himself off the lovesick Sekirei. "Just, let me bre-"

He was cut off when Kazehana caught his lips in an abrupt kiss. Her purple wings burst from her back, filling the room with a bright purple light. Kazehana slipped her tongue into Minato's mouth and rolled it around his own. Swapping saliva with Minato was pure bliss to her, and thankfully Karasuba was nowhere in sight. The two separated, and the light died down. Minato smiled at her, causing The Wind Sekirei's heart to flutter.

"I'm glad you're back," he admitted. "It's been getting kind of lonely without you two."

Kazehana looked behind her, assuming that she would see Karasuba in the doorframe.

"I thought she'd be back by now…"

 _-Karasuba-_

Karasuba snarled when she landed on the concrete rooftop with her new companion. She'd practically exploded with anger when she saw her in the first place. The Black Sekirei felt like vomiting at the sound of her voice.

"All that destruction was a bit of a hassle for MBI." A brown haired woman spoke.

"Pft, you think I care? I wanted a fight, I got a fight." Karasuba tightened her grip on her nodachi. "There's gonna be a whole lot more in the future."

"I'm not here to fight you, Karasuba. Without your Ashikabi I'd rip you to pieces. I just want to warn you about collateral damage in the future, 'kay?" She smiled that sickly sweet smile, the one that haunted Karasuba's most flower-filled nightmares. "Bye bye now!"

The woman took off into the air, leaving Karasuba alone on the roof.

No. 4 was shaking like a volatile volcano, the pressure building in every atomic sinew of her body, her blood ready to boil her alive. In a microsecond, all the pressure shunted to her fist; she punched the rooftop, caving in the concrete and leaving a shell-shocked insect to stare at her from below.

"I'm going to murder you one day, Yume."


End file.
